


New Beginnings

by AOBZ



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:44:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 44,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3908284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AOBZ/pseuds/AOBZ





	1. Chapter 1

Olivia looked up when she heard commotion coming from the entrance of the precinct. Elliot walked in, but her eyes immediately went to the small bundle in his arms. The girl was crying and looking petrified. Her eyes were darting around the room, and when they met with Olivia's, she immediately locked her gaze. The woman instantly got up from her desk, instinctively knowing that the girl wanted her. She made her way over and before she was even there, the girl reached for her and wrapped her arms around her neck, clinging for dear life.

"El?" Olivia asked, confused.

Who was this child? Why did they bring her here and where was their perp? Elliot and Fin were supposed to be going to his house to bring him in on child porn charges. They'd been investigating a small child pornography ring for the past several months and he was the last of the men to be identified and one of the last left to be caught. When they finally discovered his identity this afternoon, one Richard Thomspon, Fin and Elliot had left immediately to pick him up. Now here was Elliot, alone, with a small child.

"We got a real mess, Liv. We showed up at the guy's house, he wasn't alone," he said, looking at the girl, who was clinging to Olivia for all she was worth.

"Where's the guy now?"

"Fin is coming with him in another car. We called one of the guys to go pick him and Thompson up."

"Why…?" she pointed to the child.

"We called her mom, she's on her way," he said gently. "Turns out Thompson's her father. It was his weekend for visitation."

Olivia couldn't help shaking her head.

"And she's one of our-"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice revealing his disgust. How a man could abuse children, including their own, he'd never understand.

Olivia swallowed the urge to swear. She could feel her anger boiling up inside of her. The girl whimpered in her arms, cowering into her shoulder. Olivia wrapped her arms tighter around her and looked around. She saw Cragen and Munch approaching them.

"She doesn't like men. The only reason she came with me is because I promised her we'd bring her to her mother."

"She's coming here?"

The girl started cowering and whimpering more openly.

"It's okay, honey. You're safe here. No one will hurt you. You're with police officers."

Olivia rubbed her back and whispered to her gently.

"She's on her way but she's not going to be here for another hour and a half. She was visiting family and she's driving back now."

The girl was now trembling and shaking her head as the other two men joined them. Olivia realised she had to get away from here because the men were frightening the girl.

"We're going to Alex's office. She can't stay here."

Elliot nodded.

"I'll be there if you need me for anything."

Olivia moved away from the men, heading towards Alex's office.

"We're going to go somewhere safe, okay? Where only girls are allowed. You're safe here, sweetie."

It dawned on Olivia that she didn't even know the girl's name. She cradled her close, wrapping the blanket she was in even tighter around her. Olivia approached Alex's door and knocked. Alex opened the door a few seconds later, confused at the scene before her: Olivia looking worried, carrying a trembling and quietly crying little girl wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Can I stay in your office for a while?"

"Uh…"

"Please?"

"Okay," the blonde nodded, moving out of the way.

"Thank you."

Olivia moved past the woman, eyeing the couch in the corner. She made her way over and made a move to sit down, but the girl scrambled and shook her head.

"No," she said, a hint of fear in her voice.

Olivia stood back up and nodded.

"Okay, no sitting."

"No…we can sit," she started slowly. "But not like that."

Olivia felt like she was going to be nauseous. She had made a move to sit down with the girl straddling her lap, but the girl reacted immediately. Obviously that wasn't a safe way to sit...

Alex watched from the doorway as her colleague made her way into her office and over to the couch. She was completely confused as to what was going on. She had no idea why Olivia was in her office, since the woman rarely came here unless it was for a case, or why she was here with an obviously terrified child. Alex closed the door and walked over to the brunette, who was now attempting for the second time to sit with the small girl. The child buried her face in Olivia's shoulder, hiding there.

"Your mom is on her way to come and get you, okay? She'll be here soon. Until then, you're safe here with Alex and I."

The little girl turned her head and glanced at the blonde sitting on the edge of the couch. She quickly looked away again, burying her head in her shoulder.

"You're okay, honey. It's safe here."

The girl said nothing for several minutes. Then, she slowly looked up at Olivia and back over at Alex.

"Who is she?" she whispered.

Olivia smiled at the girl.

"Alex is in charge of putting bad people in jail for a very long time. She tells a judge all the bad things they did and the judge sends them to jail."

The girl stayed quiet for a minute.

"She's going to put the bad men in jail?"

"Yes, sweetheart. She's going to put the bad men in jail. You're never going to see them again. You're safe now."

The child said nothing, dropping her hand from Olivia's shoulder and hiding it under the blanket.

"I want my mommy."

"I know, honey. She's on her way. You don't have to worry. She's coming to get you."

Olivia turned to Alex, thinking carefully about how to tell the woman who this child was.

"You know that  _project_  we've been working on the last few weeks…how there were…little pieces involved?" Olivia hoped the other woman would understand what she meant. She discretely pointed to the girl in her arms as she said "little pieces", trying to indicate that this was one of the victims from the pedophile ring.

No emotions crossed Alex's face, but the brunette saw the woman's eyes darken.

"Yes," she answered evenly. "I understand."

Alex betrayed none of the emotions she felt. She rarely interacted with small children like this and preferred it that way. She was better at dealing with the perpetrators because the anger she felt at their actions fueled her determination to put them in prison. She learnt her cases inside out but tried to avoid the victims because she became too involved when she met them, too attached. It hurt her soul when she stopped to think about the countless atrocities they endured. It was easier to just learn the facts without attaching them to people. However, she was now sitting before one of the children who had suffered like no child should. She knew this case inside out and felt her stomach turn at everything this little girl had been put through.

She turned away from the girl for a moment, focusing on the wall as she forced out all the things she knew about this case. She pushed back the pictures, the notes, the countless files she had been studying since she was first brought this case. She couldn't think about them right now or else she'd break the stoic front that she'd worked so hard to portray.

Olivia watched Alex with interest, trying to figure out what the woman was thinking. The blonde's face revealed nothing, and Olivia wondered if she even felt anything. Alex blinked and turned toward them, her face expressionless. She turned to the small child and offered her a small smile. She might try to stay distant, but here was a small, frightened child and she couldn't ignore her.

"Are you hungry?" Alex asked. "I have some snacks that you might like."

The girl said nothing, instead watching Alex from the safety of Olivia's arms. The blonde got up and walked over to her desk. She opened the second drawer, pulling out a few colourful packages before closing the drawer again. She made her way back to the couch, this time sitting slightly closer to the other two.

"I have little crackers with cheese inside," she started, holding up a red package. "And I have little teddy bear cookies, and there are gummy candies with juice inside, and I have one box of apple juice left."

The girl stared intently at the crackers, so Alex offered them to her. The girl hesitated, but obviously wanted them.

"Go ahead, honey. Take them. You can have all of these snacks if you like."

Olivia sat the girl up, but she stayed glued to the woman's chest. She finally reached out and accepted the crackers, gingerly opening the package before putting one in her mouth.

"Do you like apple juice?"

When the girl nodded, Alex removed the straw from the juice box and poked it through the hole.

"I'll hold it for you but when you want it, you just reach over and grab it okay? This one is yours."

The girl nodded slowly and turned back to her crackers.

"I never pegged you for a kids' snacks type of girl, counselor."

Alex seemed like she would be the type to only eat organic, healthy, unprocessed foods. She came off as such an uptight person, Olivia just imagined her entire life was rigid and controlled, with no place for fun… not even junk food. Hell, that smile a second ago was the first time she'd seen her smile all week.

"You'd be surprised."

The little girl timidly reached out for the juice box in Alex's hand. Alex handed it to her and took it back once the girl had finished. When she had finished eating her crackers, the blonde took the wrapper and offered her the cookies. The child shook her head.

"No thank you. I'm not hungry anymore."

Olivia had felt the tension start draining from the girl's rigid body once she had started eating, and now that she had finished, she seemed much calmer.

"Okay," Alex said, putting the snacks down on the coffee table next to her.

"Are you tired, honey? Do you want to sleep?" Olivia asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

The girl shook her head.

"Okay. You don't have to sleep."

The girl jumped and immediately grabbed at Olivia when she heard someone knock at the door.

"No!"

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay."

 _So much for calming her down,_  Olivia thought.

Alex quickly got up and opened the door. She saw detective Stabler standing on the other side of the door, looking gravely at her.

"We need you."

The woman nodded.

"Of course."

Olivia watched as Alex left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

When Alex returned to her office two and a half hours later, she gasped loudly when she saw Olivia still sitting on her couch.

"Detective," she said, surprised.

Olivia looked away, instead of looking at her, and it was then that Alex understood that the woman had been crying. She hesitated at the doorway, not sure if she should leave or go inside. She opted to go in, even though she felt awkward. She and Olivia were not friends, and she had no idea what to do or say.

Alex gently closed the door behind her and made her way to the couch.

"I uh-" Olivia started, clearing her throat and sitting up. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

Alex didn't mention the fact that she'd been gone over two hours.

"There's no doubt he was involved. We have him on tape, in photos… He's gonna rot in there, Olivia."

The brunette said nothing in response. She stared at the desk on the other side of the room, not knowing what else there was to say. He can't hurt anyone else, but what about the kids he did hurt? What about his victims?

"Did the girl's mom come for her?"

Olivia nodded. "Emily. Her name is Emily."

"Emily," Alex repeated.

She had no idea what to say to Olivia. The woman looked so dejected. She was clearly upset but the blonde didn't know what to say. Unlike herself, the detective wore her heart on her sleeve. Her emotions were nearly always obvious, but the two women had never really had any type of personal discussion before. They did their jobs, they did them well, and that was it. When they needed to work together, they did, but when it came time to go home, they each went their separate ways. Alex couldn't tell you one personal thing about the woman sitting next to her on the couch. Not one.

"Her mom had no idea. She had no idea about him. And Emily never told her."

Alex stayed quiet. That was something she could do. She could listen.

"She showed up here, frantic. She broke down and sobbed for forty five minutes when I told her what happened. She kept-" Olivia looked at the wall, away from Alex. She fought the tears that burned behind her eyes. "She kept apologising to Emily and blaming herself for not knowing."

Olivia wiped at her eyes and took a shaky breath, trying to fight off the emotions that were now bubbling to the surface. She knew what that fucking monster had done to that poor baby and she knew the difficult road both mother and daughter were now facing. Olivia gave Emily's mother her personal contact information as well as the name of a good therapist. They would both need counselling as soon as possible. But it wasn't enough. It was never enough.

"I can't imagine what that mother is going through," Alex finally said.

Olivia shook her head, finally stealing a glance at the other woman.

"Neither can I."

They stayed quiet for several minutes before Olivia got up and made her way to the door. She paused before she opened it and turned to Alex.

"Sorry for hijacking your office earlier. She was afraid of the guys and this was the only safe place I could think of. I knew you wouldn't let anyone just barge in."

Alex got up and joined Olivia by the door.

"Don't be sorry, detective. I'm glad you came."

Olivia nodded somberly.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"If you ever need anything, you know you can come here, right? You're always welcome." Alex stated sincerely.

Olivia looked at her, surprised that the woman would say such a thing. The blonde had never offered her any kind of support, other than what was required of her professionally. She thought she saw a hint of embarrassment in the other woman's face after the woman stopped speaking, but if she had, it had only lasted a second.

"Thanks," she said. With that, she opened the door and left.

* * *

 

_One week later_

Alex was sitting at her desk, looking through the open door of her office. Ever since Olivia had come by with Emily last week, she had kept the door open as an invitation for the woman to return. However, the brunette hadn't and Alex couldn't help thinking about her, wondering how she was doing. Olivia had been so upset the week before, more upset than Alex had ever seen her. Granted, Alex didn't see much of Olivia, upset or not, but that was beside the point. She had hoped the woman would return and they could talk some more. Unfortunately, she hadn't.

Alex had spent the majority of the past week wondering how Olivia was doing and preparing for the trial that took place yesterday. It had gone well; Thompson was convicted to thirty years for his part in the pedophile ring, and yet Alex couldn't shake this unsettled feeling about the detective. She had seen Olivia at the trial yesterday, sitting at the far back of the courtroom, but she hadn't been able to catch her after the trial adjourned. Olivia often sat in on trials, but this was the first time Alex had wanted to see her after it and was disappointed when she didn't. She had decided then and there that she would seek out the brunette today.

Alex sighed for the umpteenth time today, staring out her door and wondering what the hell to say to Olivia. She couldn't just walk up to her and ask her how it was going. That would be weird. They definitely didn't have that kind of relationship. And she didn't know if it would be awkward to ask how she was in front of the guys. Should she call her and ask her to come by the office? But then it might sound like she had something to say about the case, which she didn't. She finally just decided to grab some files and pretend she needed to drop them off to Cragen, then maybe she could strike up a conversation with her. She knew the man wasn't there today, but Olivia didn't know that she knew that.

The blonde got up, grabbed a random file from her desk, and made her way over. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster the closer she got to the doors leading to Olivia. She finally had to stop before the swinging doors and compose herself.

 _Get a grip,_  she told herself.

She pushed the doors open and stepped inside. Her eyes immediately found the brunette, who was sitting at her desk and filling out paperwork. Olivia looked up and offered her a small smile, Alex automatically returned the gesture. She walked over, oddly nervous.

"Hi," she said, forcing her voice to remain even.

"Hi, Alex. What brings you here?"

"I just had some things to bring to Captain Cragen."

"He's not here right now."

"Oh," she said, trying to sound surprised. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

Olivia looked at the clock and shrugged.

"Maybe another couple of hours?"

"Okay," she paused. "Thanks."

Alex stood there awkwardly before making a move towards the door.

"Hey Alex?"

"Yeah?" she said, quickly turning around.

"Was there anything else?"

"Um-" Alex hesitated, wondering if she should bring up what was on her mind. She licked her lips and glanced at the floor, suddenly feeling really stupid. She shouldn't have come here.

"Alex? What is it?"

The concern in Olivia's voice made her break down and confess her true motive for coming.

"I was just wondering how you were doing…about Emily. I've been thinking about you," she said, taking a step towards Olivia's desk. "You seemed really upset."

The brunette looked up at Alex, surprised that she had brought up something that had happened a week ago. Normally, Alex moved on immediately, not thinking about or dwelling on anything from the past. Or so it seemed.

"Detective?"

The woman was snapped back to the present.

"Sorry. I was just thinking." Olivia glanced around the precinct. "Would you mind if we talked somewhere else?"

"Okay," Alex answered.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

"No," Alex replied.

"Neither have I. Do you like Greek food?"

"I don't know."

Olivia raised her eyebrows.

"You've never had it?"

Alex shook her head as Olivia got up.

"Then you are in for a treat," she said, grabbing the leather jacket from the back of her chair. "I know a great place just down the street."

"Okay."

Alex followed her out, stopping by her office to grab her wallet. She followed the woman to the restaurant, enjoying the silent walk. This was the first time they were together outside of a work-related matter, and truth be told, it was kind of nice.

Olivia walked confidently, sticking close to Alex while still keeping her space. She took charge, pressing the crosswalk buttons, guiding Alex when they had to turn a corner, and checking both ways before she let her cross the street. Honestly, Alex kind of liked the way Olivia took control. She doubted the woman even noticed. She knew how protective Olivia was of her colleagues and of the victims she encountered. This kind of behaviour was probably second nature to her. This was the first time she had acted this way with Alex however, and the blonde found that she liked it. It made her feel like she was safe.

"We're here," Olivia announced.

She walked up to the door and held it open for Alex.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

As the blonde walked by, Olivia shook her head.

"What?"

"I have never understood how you can walk in shoes like that. How is that comfortable?"

Alex looked down at her heels.

"These are barely two inches high, detective."

The brunette smiled and shook her head at the response. She then pointed to a table at the back of the restaurant, which Alex led the way to. Olivia liked this table because it afforded some privacy, being away from the hustle and bustle of the main entrance and the kitchen.

After they sat, Olivia finally responded to the woman's comment.

"It doesn't matter how high they are. It matters that your feet are forced into an unnatural position and the ball of your foot is bearing the weight of your entire body."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to say something about my weight, detective?"

"What? No," Olivia was mortified. "Of course not-"

She stopped speaking when Alex started laughing.

"I'm kidding," she said lightly.

"Not funny, counselor. You looked serious. I've seen the way you rip people apart in court. The last thing I want to do is to be on the receiving end of your wrath."

Alex laughed again.

"Thanks, I guess?"

Olivia smiled. So Alex had a sense of humour after all. A woman approached them, holding two menus.

"Hello, my name is Anna and I'll be your waitress this afternoon. What can I start you off with?" she asked, handing out the menus.

"I'll take an iced tea, please."

"Of course," Anna responded before turning to Alex.

"And a coke for me. Thanks."

The woman nodded and walked away from the table. Alex opened her menu and looked down the list. She had no idea what to order. What did these words even mean? She looked over at Olivia.

"What are you getting?"

"I'm gonna get the same thing I always get… a gyro with a side of rice pilaf."

The blonde bit her bottom lip as she looked at the different foods to choose from: moussaka, spanakopita, pork or chicken souvlaki, chicken shawarma… She had no idea what any of these things meant.

"I'm going to need a few minutes."

"Take your time. Everything is really good here."

"What do you suggest?"

"It depends on what you like. What do you eat a lot of?"

"I'm not really fussy, but I guess I eat a lot of chicken, pasta, salads, rice…"

"Well, you have to get someone typically Greek for the experience. Why don't you get a chicken shawarma on a pita? It's chicken that's sliced really thin and comes with an awesome sauce and vegetables. And it comes with a salad so you can get a Greek salad to complete your Greek experience."

"Okay," she said, folding the menu. "I'll trust you."

Olivia smiled warmly at her. "You won't regret it."

"I'm sure I won't," Alex replied, smiling back at her.

The waitress returned and placed their drinks before them.

"Have you already decided?" she asked, pulling out her notepad.

"Yeah. She's going to have the chicken shawarma and a Greek salad and I'm going to get the gyro with rice pilaf."

Anna finished writing and smiled at them.

"Perfect. It'll be out soon."

"Thanks."

The waitress left and the two women fell into silence again.

"This place is nice," Alex said, trying to start up a conversation.

"Yeah, I like it."

"How did you find it?"

"Just wandering around. I was looking for a place to eat and stumbled on this place. When I'm in the mood for Greek, I always come here."

Alex nodded. They fell into silence again, Alex wondering if she should bring up their previous conversation about Emily. She didn't want to ruin their lunch, but she also didn't really want to sit in silence. And the purpose of coming here was to talk, so she finally decided to just bite the bullet.

"So…how have you been?" she tried not to sound awkward, but she couldn't help feeling that that's exactly how she sounded. If she did, Olivia didn't seem to notice.

"I've been okay. I've just been thinking about Emily and everything she's going to have to face now. Her mom called me this morning to tell me they had both been to see a therapist for the first time yesterday. Emily didn't reveal much, but the therapist said it's clear she needs a lot of help. It just makes me so angry…these bastards do these things and all the jail time in the world isn't going to take away everything they did to those kids."

Alex nodded.

"Not that I don't appreciate all the work you did in putting him away, Alex. I know you bust your ass to put every perp away. You're one of the hardest working ADAs we've ever worked with and we really appreciate everything you do for us. I don't think we tell you that enough."

"Thanks. I'm really just doing my job though."

"You go over and above, Alex. Don't think we don't know that."

"Thanks. I'm sure Emily and her mom really appreciate everything you've done for them too."

"I wish there was more I could have done."

The way Olivia's voice sounded with just that one sentence made Alex's heart break.

"You did everything you could possibly do, Olivia, and then some. You always go above and beyond for the victims and they gravitate towards you for a reason. Emily was comforted by you because she sensed that safety in you. You have a big heart and you genuinely care about the people you help. They know that, and that's why they come to you."

"Thanks," Olivia said, slightly embarrassed at the attention.

"No need to thank me, detective. I haven't done anything."

They fell quiet again. The waitress returned with their food a few minutes later, to Olivia's relief. She was starting to wonder how much longer they could stay quiet before it got truly awkward.

They thanked the waitress and immediately began eating, Alex giving a small noise of approval when Olivia asked her how it was. She smiled and finished chewing before answering.

"I mean, it's good. Sorry. I didn't want to answer you with my mouth full of food."

Olivia chuckled. "It's okay. I understood your animalistic grunt of satisfaction."

Alex raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"It was not an animalistic grunt!"

Olivia grinned, giving a small shrug.

"Could have fooled me," she said, taking another bite of her gyro.

Alex pursed her lips together and shook her head, trying to suppress her smile by biting her bottom lip. It didn't work, and she ended up with a full grin too.

"Whatever, you. That's what you get for asking me a question while I'm eating."

Olivia grinned at her before taking another big bite of her lunch.

"So what's in your gyro?"

"Meat, tzatziki sauce, onions, tomato…I think that's it."

"Oh. Looks good."

"Do you want to try it?"

"No, it's okay."

The brunette pulled the wrapper down, exposing more of the pita wrap. She held it out to the blonde.

"Just make sure you hold it tight or else you'll end up wearing it all and then I'll be forced to eat your lunch."

"No, really. It's okay."

"Try it. Then you'll know if you like it and you can order this next time."

"Alright."

Alex reached out for the sandwich. She held it tight and took a bite, emitting a squeal of surprise when the pita shifted and started coming apart in her hands. She immediately handed it back to Olivia and wiped at her face, now covered in tzatziki sauce. The brunette laughed at her, taking the pita back and fixing it.

"There's an art to eating this thing. Once you've ordered it enough times, you'll get how to do it properly."

Alex wiped the last of the sauce from her chin and swallowed her bite.

"I didn't expect it to come apart so easily like that."

Olivia chuckled.

"It's messy. Your mistake was eating from the side where the pita is folded. Next time, take a bit from the open side and it won't come apart like that on you."

"I'll try to remember that. It was good though."

Olivia nodded and took another bite.

"It's my favourite thing to eat here."

Alex nodded, returning to the food on her plate.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" Olivia asked.

The blonde shrugged. She really didn't have any plans.

"Probably just try and finish some paperwork. It's a never ending task."

"I hear ya."

"What about you?"

"Tomorrow I'll probably just rent a bunch of movies and binge watch them in my pyjamas while I eat massive amounts of Chinese food. We'll see what happens Sunday. I may do the same. I haven't done nothing in forever and it sounds really appealing."

"That sounds like an amazing weekend actually."

"Well there's always room for one more if you want to join."

Olivia heard the words escape from her mouth before she even realised she had said them.

"Okay," Alex found herself agreeing. "I mean, unless you want to be alone. I don't want to crash your party."

Olivia paused. It might be nice to have Alex over actually. She had had a nice time at lunch, and truth be told, she knew absolutely nothing about Alex. It would be a good opportunity to talk and get to know her.

"You won't be crashing my party since it's not a party. It's a sad, middle aged woman sitting at her house alone. You'll make it less sad."

Alex chuckled.

"It's not sad. It sounds like fun."

"Well it should be now that I have company," Olivia said, smiling.

"Thanks. I hope so."

"It will be. Are you ready to go?" Olivia asked, getting up.

"Yeah, I am."

Olivia went to the counter and paid for their meals, ignoring Alex's protests that she could pay for her own lunch. The brunette thanked the cashier and then turned around to Alex staring at her unhappily. The woman's arms were crossed and she was clearly not impressed.

Olivia chuckled, undeterred. She wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders and led her out of the building.

"Oh come on, fusspot. The proper way to thank someone for treating you to lunch is to say thank you. I can't imagine your mother wouldn't have taught you that."

"You were ignoring me."

"I know. I'm good at that."

"Believe me, detective, I do know that."

Olivia chuckled and moved away from the blonde. She led the way back to the precinct and dropped Alex off at the door of her office.

"So, I'll text you tomorrow?"

The blonde nodded.

"Sounds good."

"Thanks for lunch, detective," she said sincerely.

"Anytime."

With that, the brunette smiled and left Alex, who watched the woman walk away with a smile on her lips.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Saturday, 12:30 pm_

Alex looked around her closet, wondering what to wear. Would she be staying late? Was it presumptuous to pack clothing in case they drank and she had to stay? What to wear…Olivia had texted her earlier to let her know that she could come by around 2, which was in an hour and a half from now. She spent the morning Googling the address Olivia had given her and trying to distract herself from her excitement of getting to see the woman in just a few hours.

Finally, at noon, she decided it was no longer too early and started to get ready. She had been standing in her room for the last half hour, wondering what she should wear. She had moved to her closet, throwing the doors open and looking at the mess of clothing in there.

"I have way too many clothes."

She flipped through the rack of hanging outfits. Most of these things were work clothes. She had way too many business suits, she decided. She would have to go through them one of these days. She took a step to the right and pushed hard on the clothes, so that they moved to the far left of the closet. There were some sweaters she had buried in the back that might be suitable to wear.

She reached back and grabbed a few tops, pulling them out and throwing them on the bed. She bit her lip, looking at the shirts and sweaters. She held one up and tossed it aside. That one didn't hang right. The next one had elastics around the sleeves that clung to her arms and she hated it. She tossed that one too. The third one seemed okay. She took off her top and slipped the sweater on. She turned to the mirror and adjusted the shirt. She turned around and checked out her butt. When she made a face, she decided that was the wrong top. She removed it and tossed it in the "reject" heap.

"Oh!"

She excitedly remembered the beige sweater she once wore to work. Olivia had complimented it in passing.

 _She likes that one_ , Alex thought.

She quickly made her way to her dresser, opening the middle drawer and pulling it out. She slipped it on and walked over to the mirror.

_Definitely this one._

She tugged on the collar of the sweater, fixing it so it hung just right.

She sifted through her bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of leggings. She slipped them on and admired herself in the mirror. Her outfit looked great. She decided she'd wear a pair of simple flats and she'd be all set.

"Now… do I pack extra clothes or not?"

She debated for a few minutes before deciding to throw an extra pair of underwear and a shirt in her purse just in case. She made her way to the bathroom to apply a little make-up, and when she finished, she glanced at the clock. It was nearing 1:30. She would have to get going very soon. She grabbed her purse and tossed in a few choice pieces of make-up (just in case) before grabbing her keys and heading out the door.

* * *

 

_1:55 pm, Saturday_

Olivia opened her fridge door, the last thing she needed to check before Alex came over. She had spent last night picking up and putting away her things. This morning, she had cleaned the entire apartment and was now finishing with the fridge. She had saved the worst for last and only had five minutes before Alex was due to arrive.

She looked inside and groaned. She knew half the things in here needed to be thrown out and she really didn't feel like doing this. Hence why she had waited until now to do it. She squatted down and pulled out container after container of leftovers from God knows when and tossed them in the trash. She opened a bottle of orange juice and smelt it, immediately throwing it out. She pulled out a 12 pack of yogurts and held them up. When had she bought yogurt? She didn't even bother looking at the date before throwing them all in the garbage. She grabbed the tub of sour cream at the back of the fridge and all of the vegetables on the bottom shelf. She knew all of that had gone bad.

She stood up and took a step back. Her fridge looked sad and empty but at least she didn't have a ton of rotting food in it anymore. She grabbed the trash bag and checked the clock. 1:59 pm. Alex would be here any minute. She quickly opened the door to her apartment and headed down the hall to the garbage chute. She loved that thing. If ever she bought a house, she was definitely going to have one installed.

Just as she turned to walk back to the apartment, she heard the ringer go off. Alex had just arrived. She jogged over and pressed the buzzer, opening the door for the blonde. She left her apartment door open and tried to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. She was excited to have the woman over, but felt nervous now about entertaining her. What if she hated the movies she had picked out? Truth be told, Olivia had just grabbed a bunch of random ones and hoped Alex would like at least a couple.

She heard a knock and called out for the woman to come in. She looked over in the direction of the door, her eyebrows rising when she saw Alex.

"Holy shit Alex you look-" she immediately halted her breath in her throat. She was going to say "hot". "Uh you look really good. That top is really nice."

Alex couldn't help the grin on her face. She had hoped Olivia would like it.

"But I thought we were having a relaxing afternoon. I didn't dress up."

Olivia couldn't help feeling horribly underdressed in her black slacks and royal blue top. She didn't look terrible, but she had chosen this outfit simply because it was comfortable.

"You look good in anything, detective."

Alex turned and closed the door so that Olivia wouldn't see her blush after she paid her the compliment. By the time she turned back around, her cheeks were back to normal.

"Your building is really nice," she said, looking around the living room. "And so is your apartment."

Olivia smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Thanks. It's not much but I've lived here forever and I've gotten pretty attached. It's small but I don't really need much room. I'm hardly ever here anyway…" she stopped talking when she realised she was rambling. "I can give you a tour if you want."

"Sure."

"You don't really need to move from that spot. You can pretty much see everything from there," she said with a grin.

Alex laughed. "It's a nice place, detective. And not as small as you're making it out to be."

Olivia smiled and took a few steps to where the kitchen was. It was small but functional. To the right there was a small kitchen table with chairs and to the left were the appliances and the cupboards. The back wall had a few more cupboards and a sink, with a dishwasher off to the side. Alex nodded in appreciation as Olivia pointed everything out.

"It's not the nicest kitchen but I'm a terrible cook so all I really need in a functional oven to heat up frozen pizza and I'm good."

Alex chuckled. "You survive on frozen pizza?"

Olivia nodded. "And take out."

"It's a wonder you're not 500 pounds."

Olivia grinned. "Thank God for good genes and an active job."

"No doubt."

"Well, that's the kitchen," she said, making a move to the living room. "This is the living room, obviously. Down here is my tiny hallway."

She opened the first (and only) door on the right to reveal a small bathroom.

"This is my bathroom. I don't have a bathtub but I never take baths so that's not an issue."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Never? I live for my bathtub."

Olivia made a bit of a face and shook her head.

"I can't stand taking a bath. In and out as fast as I can."

"That doesn't really surprise me."

Olivia grinned and slipped back out of the bathroom and took a couple of steps to the bedroom.

"And this is my room. I spend most of my time here. Or on the couch."

"This is really nice," Alex said, and she meant it.

Every piece in the woman's bedroom seemed to match. The bedframe, nightstands, dresser and shelf unit were all of the same dark wood and style.

"Is this all one set?"

"Yeah. I used to have a bunch of mismatched furniture in here and it was all pretty old stuff. My ex told me it was time to be a real grown up and helped me pick out this one. I think it looks a lot better. I like it better anyway."

"You chose a really nice set. This is even nicer than mine."

"Well, it's relatively new so that's probably why it looks so nice. I just got it about a year ago."

Alex nodded.

"I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."

"It didn't last long," Olivia said, leaning against her dresser. "We were friends and then started hanging out a lot. We were both single so we decided to try it out but it didn't take long to figure out that it was really awkward and wasn't working. We have more of a sibling relationship. So we broke up less than two months in."

"Are you guys still friends?"

"Oh yeah. We still hang out regularly. Actually, we picked this out after the break up. Apparently now it won't be as embarrassing when I bring someone home. Not that I really do anyway but if I ever did…"

Alex laughed.

"No. I think you can be proud to show off this bedroom set."

"And my pride and joy," she said, pointing to the giant flat screen on the wall.

"Yes. That is also a really nice tv."

Olivia chuckled. She could tell by the blonde's tone that she was humouring her.

"Alright, alright. Now that the tour is over, are you ready to watch some movies?"

"Definitely. I can't remember the last time I just sat around and watched tv."

"Well you're in for a treat because I'm a pro."

The brunette led the way to the living room and pointed out the pile of movies.

"The ones right here are from the video store and then I have a collection of my own just there."

"Wow. You have a ton of movies."

"Tv is definitely my guilty pleasure. When I have a rough day at work, I just come home and watch tv before I go to bed. It's nice to just turn off your brain for a few hours."

Alex nodded.

"I can understand that," she said as she browsed through the movies.

"How do you unwind after a tough day in court, counselor?"

Alex couldn't help smiling at the way Olivia said her name.

"I usually grab a glass of wine and take a long bath. The hot water helps me relax."

Alex turned around, movie in hand. She passed it to Olivia, who nodded with approval.

" _Sister Act_. Good choice."

"I love Whoopi Goldberg."

"So do I."

Olivia popped the movie in and joined Alex on the couch.

"Are you hungry?"

"No. Not yet."

"Okay. I was thinking of ordering our food after the movie is done and then we can just walk over and get it. The place is only a block away."

"Sounds good."

The movie started playing and, not knowing what else to say, Alex turned to face the tv. Olivia followed her lead and also turned towards the tv, shimmying down the couch to get comfortable.

The women watched the movie in virtual silence, only exchanging the occasional few sentences before turning back to the screen. Olivia didn't mind not talking; she enjoyed just sitting with Alex. She enjoyed her presence. Not only was she not at all difficult to look at, she was also pleasant to be around. The woman was intelligent, well-spoken, and, as Olivia had recently discovered, also had a good sense of humour. She felt at ease with her even though their friendship, if she could call it that, had only just begun.

Her working relationship with Alex went back several years, and she had always admired and respected the woman, but there was never a real friendship there. Now, she was starting to wonder why. People spoke about the woman sitting next to her, saying that she was cold and void of emotions, but Olivia had repeatedly seen otherwise. She saw how passionate Alex got about these cases and that kind of emotion doesn't come from nowhere. She knew that the woman truly cared about her job, and she was good at it, so that made Olivia respect her even more.

Suddenly, Alex turned her head, catching Olivia staring at her. The detective immediately turned away, staring at the tv.  _Real subtle, Liv._  She could feel her cheeks turning red and couldn't help the smile forming on her face. She always smiled when she was embarrassed (or caught doing something embarrassing!).

Alex knew she had been stared at for quite some time, but she didn't say anything when the other woman turned away after being caught. She could, however, see the grin spread across her face even though she was turned away. Alex smiled as well.

 _So, Liv…checking me out?_  Alex thought to herself.  _Maybe the rumours really are true._

Alex stared at the tv screen, no longer paying attention. She had long wondered if the rumours were true… the ones about this certain detective preferring the company of women. Alex never believed rumours that were spread about people, but this one, it had stuck in her mind because part of her wanted it to be true. Besides, on top of fitting the stereotypical physical appearance of a classic butch lesbian, Olivia did seem to emit certain lesbian vibes. Alex had often caught herself ogling the woman while she walked, enjoying the delicious way in which the detective moved. She was so confident, self-assured, that Alex couldn't help but stare. She always ensured no one was watching her, and in those moments, she hardly blinked because Olivia commanded her full attention. She often watched as she roughed up their scumbag of the week, secretly enjoying the way the woman's arm muscles rippled as she easily pinned them down. Alex had often imagined what it would be like to feel Olivia pin her roughly against a wall, her hands roaming up and down her body. God her hands…

Alex shifted on the couch. It was getting really warm in here and she needed to stop fantasizing about the woman next to her or else she would definitely need to swap her panties for the ones in her purse. Thank God this movie was almost over. She could then have something else to focus on. After readjusting herself on the couch, Alex started thinking about whether or not Olivia suspected about her.

Did the brunette know she was gay? Alex was extremely careful not to let on at work, and when she had relationships, she hid them carefully. She wasn't afraid of her colleagues' reactions. In fact, she was sure they would be really supportive, but because of her career, she kept her private life extremely private.

Alex stared at the screen, forcing herself to watch the last few minutes of the movie. She liked this movie, and tried hard to focus on it, but she couldn't help her brain wandering.

"Hey, if you want to go home, you don't have to stay."

"Why do you say that?"

Olivia shrugged. "You just seemed like you were bored during the movie. Not really paying attention."

Alex paused for a second.

"Sorry. I really do like this movie and I enjoyed watching it with you. It's just…my mind wanders really easily and even when I'm watching a movie and trying to focus, sometimes my brain goes off in another direction. It's not because I'm bored or having a bad time." She paused again before continuing. "To be honest, I really like hanging out with you. I feel comfortable."

Alex hadn't planned on adding the last part, but she wanted to sound sincere. It was the truth. She had always felt comfortable in the presence of the other woman. Not only because she trusted her, but also because she felt safe with her around. She knew Olivia would put herself between Alex and any type of threat. She had done so more times than the blonde could count. Because of this, Alex found herself almost instantly relaxing in her presence, even if she didn't let it show.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be bored. I'm really not that exciting," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I think you're plenty exciting," she said.

"Thanks," Olivia said, getting up. She heard the tone, she saw the look, and had it been anyone else, she would have said that person was flirting. However, this was Alex, and it was just a comment, she told herself. She desperately needed to change the subject before her brain went into overdrive. "So are you starting to get hungry?"

She made her way over to the fridge and grabbed the Chinese food menu.

"Yeah, I am."

"Good. Me too."

She handed the menu to Alex and told her to go ahead and choose what she wanted. Alex flipped through the menu, reading over the lists several times.

"I want everything."

Olivia laughed.

"Well, we could do a combo for three or four people. I know we're not that many, but there's more variety that way. Instead of ordering seven different dishes."

Alex nodded. "Okay."

She moved a bit closer to Olivia so that they could both look at the menu.

"What do you think about this one? Spare ribs, sweet and sour chicken, roast pork and mushrooms, chow mein, egg rolls, and deep fried prawns."

"That is a lot of food, but it sounds great."

"You underestimate how much I can eat, detective. If you want to get something different though, we can."

"No. That sounds good. I'm just saying you better be prepared for a ton of food."

"Bring it on."

Olivia chuckled and grabbed the phone. She placed their order and then hung up the phone.

"Twenty five minutes. I'm just going to grab plates and some utensils from the kitchen before we go. That way, we can eat right away when we get back."

"Perfect."

Alex followed the woman into the kitchen, helping her carry the items they needed back into the living room.

"Do you know if there's anything in particular you want to drink?"

"Not really."

"I don't have much here but there's a corner store on the way that we can stop at. You can take a look and see if there's anything you want."

"Sure, sounds great."

Olivia opened the door for Alex and then followed her out, locking the door behind them. They made their way down the elevator and out of the building. Once they had stepped onto the sidewalk, Olivia turned to the woman next to her.

"You should probably stick close. This isn't really a safe neighbourhood. There's quite a bit of gun violence."

Alex stared at her.

"I'm kidding," Olivia said, laughing at the woman's expression.

"Oh God. I thought you were serious. Don't do that," she said, laughing. "You made me wonder why the hell you lived here."

Olivia chuckled.

"No, it's a pretty good neighbourhood. Don't worry."

"Yeah, well now I don't know what to believe."

Olivia grinned at her and rounded the corner.

"It's just up here."

She opened the door for Alex when they arrived, following her in.

"Ah, Olivia. You're a bit early. Another few minutes."

"Okay. Thanks, Feng."

Alex raised an eyebrow when Olivia turned back around. The woman scratched the back of her hair and smiled.

"Uh, I come here a lot."

"I see that."

The brunette smiled and made a move for the door.

"Why don't we walk around the next block? There's a couple of corner stores where we can get something to drink."

"Okay."

They left the restaurant and as they walked to the corner store, Alex noticed a liquor store. A glass of wine with supper sounded nice. It would definitely help her relax. It might even help her mind stop wandering so that she could actually watch the next movie.

"Do you want to get something here?"

Olivia had noticed the woman staring at the liquor store.

"I'm thinking maybe I could get a bottle of wine and have a glass with supper."

"Sure."

Olivia opened the door and followed Alex in. They browsed inside for a few minutes before Alex found a bottle of white wine.

"You don't want anything?"

Olivia shook her head.

"I kind of have my heart set on a coke."

Alex laughed. "Okay."

They made their way to the cash and Alex paid for her bottle of wine. They stopped by the corner store, bought Olivia's coke, then made their way back to the Chinese place, where Alex insisted on paying for their dinner. Then they finally headed back to Olivia's apartment. When they arrived, Olivia put their food down on the coffee table and turned to Alex.

"Do you want to pick out the next movie and I'll get everything set up?"

"I picked the last one. It's your turn now," Alex answered.

"I've seen everything here so it really doesn't matter to me."

"What do you recommend?"

"What are you in the mood for?" Olivia asked, pulling out the containers from the paper bag in front of her.

"I don't know."

"Do you like action movies?"

"Yes, actually."

"Have you seen  _The Fast and the Furious_  series?"

"I've seen the first two and I saw pieces of the third and fourth."

"Okay. Well, I can fill you in if there's any confusion. The fifth one is the best one so I think we should watch that one."

"Sure."

Alex flipped through the DVDs on the shelf until she found the right one, took it out of its case, and popped it in the DVD machine. She pressed play, made her way to the couch, and happily plopped down next to the other woman.

"Hungry?"

"Definitely."

"Good because you have a lot of food to get through."

Alex gave a small laugh.

"You better help."

"Oh I will. Help yourself," she said smiling and pushing the carton of egg rolls closer to Alex.

The blonde smiled back and did precisely that.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later…

Alex found herself once again sitting at her desk, doing her very best to concentrate on the files in front of her but finding it nearly impossible. Olivia was in the process of arresting another of their scumbags from the pedophile ring and Alex was worried. She would feel better once the detective and her partner were back. She knew it was Olivia's job to go out and arrest these guys, she knew she was good at her job, she knew Elliot always had the woman's back, and yet Alex couldn't shake the knot of worry in her stomach. Alex hardly ever worried when Olivia was on the job. The only time she was concerned was when the woman had to go in and detain someone alone because she knew they got angry when they were being arrested. And when they got angry, they got dangerous. She never worried like this before though, probably because she wasn't attached to the brunette like she was now.

After their evening together two weeks ago, Alex knew she was in trouble. She had always been secretly intrigued by Olivia, but had never once let on or acted on her desire to get to know Olivia. She had contented herself to observe the woman from a distance, ensuring that she never got too close. However, by the time she returned home on that Saturday night, she knew there would be no more staying away; she was 100% interested. She spent the entire following day thinking about the woman, going over the previous evening and the conversations they had had. She didn't even get to watch  _Fast Five_ that evening because they had spent the entire time talking. Not that she regretted it. She definitely didn't. She had learnt a lot about Olivia's life, and the brunette had asked her about hers as well. In all honesty, it had felt more like an intimate evening, a date even, than a movie night.

It was nice to have that connection with the other woman. It was also nice that Olivia had started stopping by and asking Alex to join her for lunch. They had only been able to go a few times because of their conflicting work schedules, but it was still nice to get away from everything and just talk. Olivia had been updating her on the case they were working on, the one Alex would be prosecuting for them.

The blonde smiled to herself as she reflected on the conversation she had just had with Olivia over lunch yesterday. They had started talking about obtaining the right amount of evidence, as well as the right  _kind_  evidence that was enough to put a man in jail. Olivia had told her about a guy earlier that morning who had completely deserved to be arrested and that had she not been so distraught at what he had done, she'd have been able to clearly see the crime he committed and arrested him. After hearing the story, Alex, with a hint of laughter in her voice, promptly informed her that she had no grounds to arrest him.

_"But he did it on purpose!"_

" _Detective, you cannot arrest a man because you feel he did it on purpose."_

_"Okay but what if I have a witness who I'm pretty sure agrees with me?"_

_Alex bit her lip, trying hard to maintain a straight face._

_"I'm afraid that's not enough to arrest the man in question."_

_"But it was the last honey cruller, Alex, and I_ **_really_ ** **** _wanted it. I was starving and I had been looking at it the entire time. He knew I wanted it. He did it on purpose."_

_"The man standing in front of you at the donut shop, with his back turned to you, knew that you wanted the last donut and purposefully took it from you?"_

_"Yes. It was a cold and calculated theft, counselor. That donut was as good as mine."_

_"Well, if you're so convinced, then I'll call Petrovsky as soon as we get back and I'll present your case."_

_"Thank you. I appreciate your commitment to protect the citizens of this community."_

_"And their rights to donuts."_

_"And their rights to donuts," Olivia agreed._

Alex shook her head. She had laughed so much at lunch with Olivia yesterday. The woman had been in a very good mood, something Alex had definitely enjoyed. The woman was playful and Alex laughed easily at her silly jokes. Olivia was fun. She liked being with her. Now if only she would return back to the station so Alex could stop worrying…

Just as Alex had that last thought, the front door of the station opened and slammed against the wall. She snapped her head in the direction of the door when she heard the noise, also hearing quite a bit of swearing from a man who she assumed was their perp. She saw the two detectives leading Christopher Daniels down the hallway and, presumably, to an interrogation room. As they passed in front of her office, Olivia tossed a look in her direction.

"Counselor."

Alex got up, put on her suit jacket, smoothed her skirt, and made her way to the interrogation room. She saw Cragen standing outside, watching from the two-way mirror.

"Captain."

"I'm glad you're here. I'd like you to observe the interrogation."

Alex nodded, turning to the mirror and watching the two detectives begin to question their latest offender. Cragen left, but Fin joined her soon after. She turned to face him when he joined her.

"He say anythin' yet?"

Alex shook her head.

"He's talking but he's not admitting anything. He seems pretty cocky."

"He's lookin' pretty pissed now though."

Alex looked to where Fin was pointing. He was right. She stood still, watching the way the man's face was suddenly turning red with anger, speaking in very controlled tones. She wondered to herself what they had said to make him start sweating. She was glad he was starting to crack, but at the same time, she was worried. What if he exploded on one of them? On Olivia? She took half a step forward, intently focused on the brunette.

"You okay?"

"Yes, of course," she answered quickly. "Why?"

"You got a look."

Alex looked away from him, kicking herself internally for betraying her emotions. She was supposed to be an expert at keeping a straight face. She looked back at the detectives, listening carefully to the way Daniels denied what Olivia was saying to him. Everything she was saying to him was true, and from the way he was reacting, he obviously knew it was too: the way he clenched his fists, the way his shoulders were tensed, the way he tried to appear relaxed but was completely unsuccessful.

It didn't take long, and when he cracked, Alex held her breath, fear coursing through her entire body. She watched the way he slammed his fists on the table, screamed in Olivia's face, kicked his chair, and before she knew what had happened, he had grabbed the detective and slammed her into the metal table. Alex gasped and took a step toward the window, watching in horror as the scene before her unfolded.

After he cracked her into the table, Olivia kicked back hard, forcing the man to take a step backward. He growled and then lunged at her. Elliot grabbed the man from behind, restraining his right arm as Olivia got back up and grabbed his left. The man managed to deliver a hard blow to both detectives while they struggled to push him down before Fin finally joined them and pinned the man down roughly.

Alex could feel her heart pounding in her chest, adrenaline and fear pumping through her veins as she looked at Olivia. Alex felt her blood boiling as she watched Fin yank the guy down the hall and away from the interrogation room. She immediately went into the room with the detectives, no longer caring about how worried she looked.

"Olivia," she said, leaning down to Olivia's level. The woman was sitting in a chair, breathing heavily.

"I'm fine, guys. I just need a minute to catch my breath."

"No, Liv. You need to get yourself checked. You connected hard with that table."

"I'm fine, El."

Olivia took another minute and her breathing finally slowed. She could still feel her heart pumping from the adrenaline rush, but at least she was no longer out of breath.

"I'm fine," she said, noticing Alex's concerned look.

She made a move to stand up but couldn't help the hiss of pain she made as she attempted to stand. The door flew open and Cragen immediately marched in.

"Detective, are you alright?"

"Yes, sir. I'm just a little winded that's all."

"She's not winded, sir," Elliot started. "She needs to be checked. She got slammed pretty hard."

"I'm-"

"See a doctor, detective. I don't want you to come back until you have a clean bill of health."

He turned to Elliot.

"Were you hurt?"

"No, sir. He elbowed me in the side but it barely connected. Detective Benson is the one who took the brunt of the blows."

"I'm sorry to hear that, detective," he said to Olivia. "Let me know what they tell you."

He left the interrogation room, not the least bit happy with what had happened to one of his people.

Alex turned to Olivia.

"I wish I could go with you…"

"No. It's going to take five seconds for the doctor to look at me and say there's nothing wrong." She turned to her partner "Nothing is broken, Elliot. I can't believe you told Cragen about this."

He shook his head.

"I'm not working with a broken partner. Get checked and then we'll talk. I'm gonna go see about this jerk now. Maybe I'll have to  _defend_  myself against a threat he'll direct my way."

"I heard none of that, detective Stabler," Alex stated.

"Good," he answered, leaving the room.

Olivia turned, offering Alex a small smile.

"Don't you smile at me, detective. I know you're hurting."

"I'm okay."

"Then get up."

Olivia sighed, sliding to the edge of the chair and tried to force herself up, using the table for support. Alex took a step closer, placing a hand on her arm.

"I got it," the detective said. "Don't worry." She finally stood up and smiled at the blonde. "See?"

"My grandmother stands faster than you, detective."

"That's because she's had years more experience."

The blonde couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face. There was a short pause between them before Alex spoke again.

"I was scared for a minute there," she said softly.

Olivia reached out with her left arm and placed it on Alex's forearm.

"I wish you hadn't seen all that. There are some details about my job you don't need to know about."

"I'd rather know…It just scared me. I was worried you'd be really hurt."

"They rarely get me like he did. And when they do, they don't hit as hard as they think. It looks a lot worse than it is."

"Will you just tell me honestly how you're feeling?"

Olivia sighed. "I'm sore. My cheek is pounding and my rib hurts. Or ribs."

"Your right side?"

Olivia nodded.

"You seem to be favouring that side. Are you going to be okay to get yourself to a doctor?"

"Oh yeah. It's not that bad, Alex. The doctor is going to tell me to rest, I already know. I've gone through much worse."

Alex nodded slowly.

"I know. I just…It's different when you see it. I felt helpless."

Olivia slid her fingers down Alex's arm to hand. She gave a gentle squeeze, hoping it would offer the woman some comfort.

"I'm sorry you saw that, Alex."

"I don't want you to think you have to shield me or-"

"I don't. I know you're tougher than all of us here. I'm just saying…I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Alex said, smiling softly. "You should get going now."

"Yeah, I should. What are you going to do now?"

"Paperwork…start a new list of charges for this jerk. I'm going to enjoy sending him to jail."

Olivia grinned.

"That's why we like working with you."

Alex returned the smile and made her way to the door, secretly disappointed that she had to break contact with the other woman. She enjoyed touching her.

She opened the door and let Olivia pass.

"Don't get used to this. When I'm back to normal, I'll be the one opening the doors."

Alex chuckled.

"Whatever you say, detective."

They walked down the hall together, Olivia stopping for her keys and wallet, before continuing down to Alex's office.

"So you'll text me to tell me what they say?"

Olivia nodded.

"You'll be the first to know."

"Good. Good luck."

"I won't need it. There's nothing wrong. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

With that, the brunette left, leaving Alex to watch in sadness as she walked away.

 

Several hours later, Olivia found herself alone and bored in her apartment. She had been discharged from the hospital with nothing seriously wrong with her, just as she had suspected. She had some swelling on her face and some light bruising on her rib cage, but other than that, she was fine. The doctor told her to take it easy for the next three to four days, so Cragen told her to go home and not bother coming in until Monday. Olivia had no idea what she would do until then. It was Thursday night and she had absolutely nothing to do until she went back to work.

She had texted Alex, who said she was relieved to hear that nothing was seriously wrong. They talked about what the doctor told her to do to help her heal faster (apply a cold compress to the ribs for ten minutes three times a day, along with rest and no strenuous activities) and what she could do to stave off boredom. Olivia was not impressed with the counselor's suggestions: watch tv, read a book, play on the internet, do crosswords (which she didn't even have!), read the paper, stare at the walls… This was going to be a long, long weekend. Luckily, Alex agreed to come over tomorrow after work, so Olivia had that to look forward to.

The detective spent the rest of the evening and the following day waiting for Alex. She tried to remember to put the cold compress on her ribs, but she wasn't faring well in that department. She had a terrible memory for things like that. Plus, the thing was cold and uncomfortable, even though she was wrapping it in a towel.

_12:30 pm_

Olivia groaned for the millionth time since yesterday. She was  _so_  bored. Why wasn't it five yet? She flipped through the tv channels again, hoping to find something to catch her attention. Normally, she could lose an entire day watching television, but not today. She knew Alex was coming and that was why she wasn't able to stay distracted. She settled on the movie  _Aliens_. She enjoyed this movie, but she knew she would probably again switch channels in another five minutes. All because she couldn't keep her mind from wandering to the gorgeous, sexy… Olivia shook her head.

 _Alex is your_ ** _friend_** , she reminded herself. It didn't matter how sexy she thought the woman was, especially when she wore those glasses… Olivia snapped herself back to reality again. God it was so easy to fantasize about the other woman. She had always thought Alex was hot. The woman radiated sex appeal and anyone who wasn't blind would agree that she was extremely attractive. So it wasn't hard for Olivia to start fantasizing about her because the woman was just so damn attractive, but it was getting hard now to keep those thoughts in check. Her thoughts were now going from  _Damn_  (as she checked her out) to  _I wonder what her lips feel like_  or  _I wonder what she'd do if I kissed her?_

Her feelings were starting to change and she knew that was dangerous. She knew she should put some distance between them, but she didn't want to. She liked seeing Alex and she liked being around her. She didn't want to scare her off or ruin their friendship by distancing herself from the woman…or by letting on how she felt. She enjoyed spending time with the other woman. She liked being around her. Alex was funny, intelligent, kind, and genuinely fun to be around. That's why she'd never want to weird her out by doing anything inappropriate.

* * *

Olivia woke with a start. She immediately glanced at the clock.  _2:51_ . Damn. She had slept for at least…when was the last time she had checked the clock? She couldn't remember. Her side was starting to ache. She probably shouldn't have slept on the couch. She took a deep breath and rolled gently, letting out a silent cry of pain as she twisted her hurt ribs. She sat up and took a breather before getting up and making her way to the medicine cabinet. She dumped a couple of painkillers in her hand and popped them in her mouth, swallowing them with a small chug of water. She hoped they would kick in soon so the fire in her side would stop.

_Too bad they didn't get me any real drugs._  Not that she would have taken them anyway, but at least she'd have had the option.

She checked herself out in the mirror. Her right cheek was definitely still swollen, but at least it didn't look terrible. She fixed her hair, spiking it back up the way she wanted it, and reapplied the make-up that had smudged earlier. She quickly brushed her teeth and then returned to her couch, easing herself down before grabbing the remote.

_Now what to watch for the next two hours?_

She flipped through the channels and found a marathon of  _Will & Grace._

"Jackpot!"

She happily clicked on the channel and settled back into the couch. She loved this show, even though she now had to suppress the urge to laugh because it burned and caused a sharp pain in her side. Regardless, it was still hilarious.

Olivia had just started another episode when she heard a knock at her door. Frowning, she looked at the clock. It was just after four. Who the hell was that?

She slowly got up from the couch and made her way to the door, looking through the peephole to see a beautiful blonde… an hour early. She happily opened the door, mouth wide in a grin.

"Alex."

"Hi. You look happy," she said as she walked in the door.

"I am. You're early."

"I know. I hope that's okay. I worked through my lunch so that I could get here earlier. I figured you'd be going stir crazy so I thought I'd come sooner."

"I'm glad you did. I've been thinking about you."

Olivia closed the door and gestured for them to move to the couch.

"Have you now?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "How are you feeling?"

The women sat down, Olivia easing herself gently.

"I'm fine. Doing well."

"You seem better than yesterday but your poor cheek is more swollen."

Olivia nodded.

"Yeah it swelled up overnight. It doesn't hurt much though."

"How about your ribs?"

"Only if I move the wrong way or laugh. Or sneeze. Or cough."

"Have you been putting ice on them like the doctor told you?"

Olivia stayed quiet, causing Alex to shake her head. The blonde got up and made her way to her purse, where she pulled out a couple of gel icepacks.

"I figured you weren't so I bought a couple of these so that I can make sure you do it right."

"I was keeping on top of it yesterday."

"And how long are you  _supposed_  to do it for?" she asked, quickly going to the kitchen to toss the gel packs in the freezer.

"Hmm?" Alex asked, when Olivia still hadn't answered her.

"Three times a day."

"And, Miss Benson, have you done it even once today?" the blonde asked, plopping down on her end of the couch.

"No ma'am."

Alex sighed.

"You're not going to get better unless you take care of yourself."

"You're here to take care of me now."

"Yeah and it's a good thing. What would you do without me?"

"Cry, probably. And then my ribs would hurt even more."

Alex chuckled and shook her head in exasperation.

"Did you eat today?"

"Uh…yes. I ate."

"What did you eat?"

Olivia slowly pointed to the bag of chips on the coffee table.

"Before you say anything, I was too sore to make anything. Chips were easy and required no effort."

Alex smiled at her.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes. I've been waiting for you to eat."

"Do you want to order something? I'd make you something but your cupboards are pretty bare."

"Yeah don't go in there. It's embarrassing."

Alex laughed.

"Do you want to order pizza?" Olivia asked.

"Sure."

"I could go for that," she answered, grabbing the phone and dialing the number Olivia gave her. She ordered a large meat lovers with extra cheese and two cokes, which earned her a look from Olivia.

"What?" she asked, after hanging up the phone.

"Did you know that was my favourite?"

"Maybe."

"Who told you that?"

"Detective Stabler and I may have had a discussion about you earlier today. And he may have let it slip that you probably wouldn't have eaten today and that a meat lovers with extra cheese would make you drool everywhere. But please don't drool on me."

Olivia laughed and then clutched her side. "Oh," she said, grimacing. "Don't make me laugh."

Alex grinned. "Sorry."

"Why were you two discussing me?"

"He asked how you were doing."

"I'm surprised he asked you and not me."

"He said he didn't want to risk waking you in case you were napping. I think he knows we've been talking and seeing each other a lot lately," Alex said, absently picking at her nail.

"Oh yeah?"

Alex nodded but didn't meet her gaze. Olivia leaned her head over, looking to meet Alex's eyes.

"Does that bother you?"

"Does what bother me?"

"His thinking we've been seeing each other and talking a lot lately?"

"No, why would it? We have been."

"Okay. I just don't want it to bother you that's all."

"It doesn't. We aren't doing anything wrong by being friends."

Olivia nodded.  _Yeah…friends_. She sighed inside. Too bad she would love to have more…

"People will always find a reason to talk. Detective Stabler is a nice guy. I don't believe he'd cause trouble."

"He wouldn't. None of the guys would. They've always had my back."

Alex smiled.

"If only it were that way in my career. Most people in my field are a bunch of backstabbers."

"Women can be like that."

"It's not just the women. The men are like that too. They can be worse even." Her voice got quieter. "I've just dealt with it by distancing myself from them. They think I'm a cold hearted bitch but I can't trust them to keep any confidences or trust that they won't turn on me to get ahead. So I act like I don't care and keep my space."

"I didn't know that you kept your distance from them," Olivia responded. "You seemed friendly with some of your colleagues."

"I can be friendly, yes. But it's a fake friendly, you know? Nothing more than exchanging pleasantries. They don't know anything substantial about me. Not that I can't take any blame for it. It's my doing as well."

"Do you feel that way with us?"

"Us?"

"Yeah, us as in me and the guys. Do you feel like it's a fake friendly between us?"

Alex thought she heard a twinge of hurt in the other woman's voice.

"No. And yes. I know you guys also think that I'm cold, but I guess I never gave you a reason to think otherwise. And although the guys have been nothing but nice to me, I can't say I know anything about them, and vice versa. They're nice guys, but they feel like colleagues and nothing more. I can count on them to do their jobs and do it well, but I can't exactly call them up when I do well on a case and want to talk about it, you know? But it's been different between you and I lately."

"We don't think you're a cold person."

Alex gave her a look.

"Okay. We  _used_  to think you were, but only because you hid your emotions so well, especially when we first met you. But with time, that perception has changed, especially for Elliot and I. You come off as "cold" because you keep your guard up, but your heart shows in other ways: your passion for your job, your determination to lock up every single perp we bring you, and the way you put your job on the line to put those monsters away. We've seen the way you get upset when you lose a case and we grieve with you, even if you don't see it. I wanted to reach out to you more times than I can count after hearing that you lost a case because I know how much it affects you. I've seen it. You lash out afterwards because you're upset about what happened. If people don't dig any further to learn to actually read you, then yeah, they might think you're a cold person. But, the truth is, you're not. You're one of the most caring people I know. You're as much of a good guy as the cops who go out there and actually arrest the men perpetrating these crimes. You might even be a better person than they are because you bust your ass off to ensure they are put away for as long as they possibly can be."

Alex stayed quiet, absorbing everything the woman was saying. No one had ever said these things to her, and it was scary the way Olivia had analysed her so well. Nothing she said was wrong… she  _did_  lash out when she lost a case because she felt such horrible, soul crushing guilt at not being able to put the perp behind bars. She  _did_  keep a guard up, but she really did care about these cases as much as everyone else. She kept them all at a distance to keep herself safe.

"I'm sorry for the way we treated you before, Alex. I feel guilty knowing that we weren't as friendly to you as we could have been."

"I didn't help myself either. You guys tried at first, but I wasn't interested in being friends, so I didn't really encourage you."

"Why didn't you want to be friends?"

Alex shrugged.

"Tell me."

She paused. "I didn't trust you. I had just switched jobs because a "friend" at my previous job and I had a falling out, so she started rumours about me and I'd just had enough. I didn't want to go through that again so I chose to keep my distance. Being thought of as cold and distant is better than having people I think are my friends gossiping things about me and talking behind my back."

Olivia reached out and placed her hand on Alex's knee.

"I'm sorry you went through that, Alex. Anyone who is a true friend would never do that to you. Elliot and I haven't always gotten along and sometimes we completely disagree with something the other is doing, but we always have each other's backs. I know he'd ever do anything like that to me and I definitely would never do that to him. The same goes for you. I know you're making an effort and you're going out on a limb here, trying to be friends. I would never betray something you told me in confidence."

"Thanks. I believe you, but I think it's because I've spent years working with you. I know we haven't been overly friendly, but you've never been unfriendly either." Alex paused, a smile forming on her face. "I know you try to be nice. Like when you make me coffee when I'm in your department."

Olivia smiled.

"I like to. It's one of the few things you let me do for you."

"Well, I always thought it was sweet."

Before Olivia could answer, the buzzer went off.

"Pizza guy is here."

Alex got up and answered, buzzing the man in when he announced that he was, indeed, the pizza man. She reached into her purse and pulled out some money, opening the door and waiting for him to arrive. She paid him and then excitedly turned around to face the brunette, holding the box of pizza and two cans of coke.

"Pizza!" she said happily. "And coke."

Olivia laughed, and then made an "ooh" sound and clutched her side. Even through the pain she couldn't help thinking,  _you're so damn cute_.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, opening the box of pizza after the blonde set it on the coffee table.

"No more laughing or you're going to pull something."

"I can't help it, you're so damn cute."

The blonde, surprised at the comment, blushed and looked down at the pizza. Olivia, mortified that the comment slipped out, looked down and grabbed a piece of pizza to distract herself. At least Alex didn't get angry or look upset with her.

The women sat back and took their first few bites in silence.

"This is so good. I was hungrier than I thought," Olivia said, trying to break the silence.

Alex nodded in agreement.

"You know a lot of good take out places."

"Well when you eat out as much as I do, you get to know the best places."

"You never make yourself anything?"

Olivia shrugged. "I make frozen pizza, chicken fingers… I can make toast or cereal. Most of the time, I just don't have the time or the energy to make real food so I kind of just eat whatever."

"Don't you get sick of eating those things?"

"Oh yeah. Elliot and Kathy are really good about inviting me over for supper though. I hardly ever eat home cooked meals so it's nice to eat something that doesn't come from a box once in a while."

"I can imagine. Next time you come over, I'll make you something that doesn't come from a box."

Olivia gave a small chuckle, grabbing another slice of pizza.

"Okay. I'll bring the movies."

"Deal."

They sat in silence for a minute before Alex started talking again.

"So how is your side?"

"It's okay. It's kind of sore though."

"Well, those icepacks will be cold by now. I'll go get one."

"I can grab it."

"Alright, well while you struggle to get up, I'll go get the icepack and come back."

Olivia pouted at her, making Alex laugh. The blonde went to the freezer and grabbed an icepack, returning and then handing it to Olivia. The woman placed it against her ribs, over her sweater, and sighed contently.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks."

"No problem."

Alex grabbed her slice of pizza again and resumed eating.

"So what are you doing this weekend?"

"I'll probably start getting ready for the trial. We're going to have to prepare as well because you're going to need to testify about what happened in that room. Has Captain Cragen had you write out your report?"

Olivia nodded.

"I did it Thursday night while it was still fresh in my memory."

"Good. You'll need to reread it so you can make sure you have your facts straight."

"I know. This isn't my first picnic, you know," she said, smiling.

Alex smiled back. "Alright, detective."

"What about you? How much work do you have left to do?"

"Enough. I need to reread my notes but I did most of my research this week. Now I have to put it all in order and get everything organised. I'll probably be at it most of the weekend."

"Did you bring your notes with you?"

"Yes, actually."

"Well, if you want, you can work on them here. I don't mind if you work."

"Oh yeah? And what will you do in the meantime, detective?"

"Watch tv." Olivia responded. "I like your company," she admitted.

"Then I'd be happy to stay," she responded. "Are you finished eating?"

"For now."

"Do you want me to leave it out in case you want to pick at it later?"

"No, I can get up and grab some after."

"Okay," Alex answered, bringing the pizza into the kitchen. She grabbed a dishcloth and wiped down the coffee table before grabbing her files from her purse.

"Is it going to bother you if I nap?"

"No. Are you tired?"

"No, but my body feels a little sore and I'm wondering if I'll fall asleep if I lay down."

"Are you going to be okay to sleep on the couch?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay."

Alex curled up in the corner, placing her notes on the coffee table and on her lap. She grabbed her pen, put on her glasses, and started pouring over her notes while Olivia gently stretched out and laid on one of the couch cushions. She grabbed the ice pack and turned on the tv, keeping the sound low so that Alex could concentrate.

"It's not going to bother me if you want to turn it up."

"No, it's okay. I'll probably fall asleep. If you get bored though, you don't have to stay."

"I won't get bored."

Olivia smiled at her.

"Good."

She turned to watch Alex a few minutes later, admiring the way the woman concentrated so hard on the pages before her. She loved watching her. Alex always got right into her work, losing herself in it. Sometimes Olivia would walk by the woman's office and say hello, but the blonde didn't even notice because she was so absorbed in her work. It was adorable the way Alex would stare at a page, frowning, chewing on the end of her pen, deep in thought. It was those times Olivia would like nothing more than to approach her, kiss her firmly on the lips, tell her just how sexy she looked, and confess everything she felt for her.

However, seeing as she couldn't do that, she sighed internally and looked over at the tv.

* * *

 

Olivia gasped softly, waking up to her face pressed against the back of the couch. She shifted away, holding her breath through the pain from having moved too quickly the wrong way. She waited, then turned slightly, greeted with the sight of a beautiful, blonde woman still hard at work, scribbling away on the page before her. She laid there comfortably for a while, happy to observe the woman. She was brought back to when she and Leah used to be in these exact same positions, first as friends and then when they briefly dated. It was in these exact same positions that they had decided that Olivia should get a new bedroom set. She missed this…this familiar intimacy with another person. She had liked it with Leah, and she still missed her sometimes, but now she longed to have that with Alex.

"Well hello there, sleepy. You're looking happy."

Olivia smiled at her. God, she really was beautiful. Those dark glasses against such white skin, the way her hair just fell, framing an absolutely stunning face, those red lips... Olivia wanted nothing more than to just lean forward and-

"What were you thinking about?"

Olivia cleared her throat.

"Nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing. You looked like you were staring off, remembering or something."

 _Oh that._ Olivia paused for a second.

"This is just a familiar scene, the way we're sitting here now."

"How is it familiar?"

"My ex and I, we used to do just this. I'd pass out and…" she trailed off. She could out herself right now. Did she want to? Only a handful of people at work knew. Did she want Alex to know? Did she trust her to know? Would the woman suspect she was attracted to her once she found out Olivia was attracted to women?

"And what?"

"And…I'd pass out and when I'd wake up…she'd be reading a book and rubbing my foot, sitting where you're sitting. I'd always be woken up to her rubbing my feet. Seeing you there, well, it just reminded me of that."

Olivia waited, watching Alex's reaction. The woman blinked but said nothing. As the seconds ticked by, Olivia got more and more nervous. Had she weirded her out?

"So…you wanted me to rub your foot?" she said, deadpan. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Olivia laughed, relief flooding her.

"Ohh, ow. Oh," she said, clutching her side.

"You look so pitiful."

Olivia chuckled.

"Then take pity on me and help me up so I can take some painkillers."

Alex giggled at her plight, but set down her files to help the woman sit up. She slid her hand under Olivia's back and grabbed her hand, lifting her up. When the detective was completely sitting up, their eyes met. Alex could feel her pulse starting to race when their eyes locked and after a half second, she took a step back and smiled, embarrassed.

"Thanks," Olivia said, feeling slightly awkward.

She made a beeline for the bathroom and closed the door. So, Alex knew she was gay. Or at least, that she had dated a woman. She knew and she didn't make a face, she didn't give her some kind of awkward answer, and she didn't run away. In fact, she didn't even seem fazed. Did she already know?

Olivia shook her head and opened the medicine cabinet, reaching for the painkillers. She popped another two in her mouth and swallowed, chasing them down with a bit of water. She went to the bathroom and then flushed before washing her hands and heading back to the living room.

She smiled when she saw Alex sitting there, the pizza box on the coffee table and a piece of pizza in her hand. The woman stopped chewing, smiled, and then swallowed her bite.

"I got hungry."

Olivia chuckled and sat down, grabbing her own slice of pizza.

"Hey, mi casa es su casa."

They stayed quiet, chewing their food. Olivia wasn't really sure what to say or what to talk about, and Alex was busy going over the dozens of questions that had been running through her head since Olivia left. So, she was gay? Or she was bi? Or she just happened to have a girlfriend that one time? Is that why it didn't work out? Because she's straight and she tried it out once with that woman and she didn't like it? If she  _was_ gay, was she out at work? Was she seeing anyone?

Alex finished her slice of pizza and decided to just ask her. Obviously if she had mentioned the fact that her ex was a woman, it was because she was open to discussing it, right?

"So…your ex that you mentioned, is she the one who helped you pick out your bedroom set?"

"Yeah."

"How did you guys get together?"

"Just…proximity. We were both single at the time and hanging out often. We just started talking and she admitted she found me attractive and I mean, she's beautiful so…it just kind of happened."

Alex nodded.

"Why didn't it work out?"

"We are so, so different. She's short-tempered and impulsive, outspoken, and she's an extrovert. I'm a total introvert and I prefer a quiet environment. I like being at home alone. I know that sounds odd since my job involves talking to people and is high chaos, but that's why I enjoy just sitting at home. She likes going out and hanging out at clubs…not my scene. We just both agreed that it wasn't going to work. She's a great person though and she's happily settled down with someone now. I'm happy for her."

"What do you look for in a…girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"Girlfriend…no boyfriends. I definitely need someone who is calm, introverted, intelligent, funny…I tend to do well with women who take control because I'm pretty easy-going and would rather not make decisions."

"Do you have a type?"

"Not really to be honest. Other than that I tend to date women who are more feminine than I am. I don't think I could ever date someone who was butchy. I guess that's my type: women who aren't butchy."

Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think I could see you with a butchy woman."

"You've pictured me with a woman?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I mean-" Alex started, blushing. "I just don't see you with someone like that, that's all."

Olivia grinned at the way the woman tried to explain herself. It was cute. After a brief pause, she started talking.

"I'm not really out at work…"

Alex immediately started to shake her head.

"I'm not going to say anything, don't worry."

"Okay, thanks. I mean, El knows and the guys, well, I never told them but they know."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Olivia smiled in appreciation.

"What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"No. With work…I never get the chance to meet anyone. Plus, work keeps me really busy, so it's hard for me to maintain a relationship anyway."

"Well, if you're looking for a nice guy, Fin is single. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I could-"

Alex shook her head, cutting her off.

"No, thanks."

"Not your type?"

"Not exactly," she responded slowly.

"Because he's black?" she joked.

Alex laughed. "No!"

"Because he's old?"

Alex rolled her eyes. She knew she was being teased now.

"Because he's a guy and not a hot female NYPD detective such as myself?"

Alex paused for a second, her blood pumping. Now or never. She said nothing, but gave the detective a knowing smile. Olivia laughed, but then stopped when she realised Alex wasn't joking back.

"Wait, what?" Olivia put on the breaks. "I was kidding." She said in complete seriousness.

Instead of laughing and saying she was kidding like Olivia expected her to, the blonde simply sat there, smiling.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"You're serious."

"Yes," she said, chuckling.

"You wouldn't date Fin because he's a man?"

"That's the biggest reason, yes."

"But you'd date him if he were a woman?"

"I might. The odds of it happening would jump dramatically anyway."

Olivia paused, letting this all sink in.

"I'm in shock, Alex. You're not joking?"

"No."

"You're actually gay?"

"Yes."

"I can't wrap my mind around it. I've always thought you were straight. I can't believe it."

Alex smiled.

"I don't flaunt it. Absolutely no one at work knows. You're the only one I've told. And honestly, it's only because you opened up to me first."

"I'm not going to say anything but I mean, even if I did, no one would believe me anyway. Everyone thinks you're straight."

Alex paused again, smiling at her.

"Well, I'm definitely not."

"Okay, well, now I want to hear you talk."

Alex chuckled, unable to help that she was enjoying this reaction from the other woman.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Who you're seeing, what's your type, how long have you been out… Just tell me about it because I'm still reeling."

"Okay…well, I'm not seeing anyone right now. Like I said, I really don't have time to go out and honestly, I'm kind of worried of outing myself by going to gay bars and trying to meet people. In the past, I've mostly met women through mutual friends so I guess I was hoping that would happen again. Although, I don't know how it's supposed to happen when I never go out," she said, reflecting. "Anyway, I'm not seeing anyone and I haven't for almost two years."

"I can't believe someone like you could stay single for that long."

Alex blushed, but didn't address the detective's comment.

"Um, I came out in the summer after high school. It was kind of a slow realisation during my last year of high school. I was up late one night and unknowingly watched a lesbian movie. The idea of two women getting together just intrigued me, so I started searching for other lesbian movies and just got hooked. I became obsessed and it was then that I started to realise okay…something's up. It took me a good six months of back and forth before I finally concluded that I was a lesbian. I never had any interest in any of the guys in my grade, but I figured it was because they were all really immature and that I'd find a guy in college or something. Instead, I found Lydia and she helped eliminate any doubts I had."

"Wow. I can't believe none of us knew. You are really convincing as a straight girl."

Alex laughed.

"Thanks. I try to keep my private life private. I'm pretty good at it I think."

"You're very good at it."

Olivia paused.

"So what kind of girl do you go for? And is the feminine Alex I see every day the real Alex or are you actually a leather-wearing, bike riding, gum chewing, super dyke?"

Alex laughed hard, picturing herself as Olivia described her "dyke" alter ego.

"No. This is how I really am. I am definitely a…well, not that I particularly like labels, but I guess I'd have to say I'm a "femme". I like my make-up, my nail polish, my skirts, purses…but I also wear jeans and sweatshirts and I'll paint my own living room if I need to."

Olivia nodded, taking in everything she was saying. She was still digesting what Alex was saying. She had known Alex for  _years_  and had never suspected. Not even once. She had hoped and thought about it…but she didn't ever once think it was actually true.

"As for the kind of woman I go for…I kind of do have a type. I tend to go for women who are, well, to be honest…who are kind of like you."

"In what way?"

"Strong, determined, passionate. Women who are really expressive emotionally because I'm pretty bad at saying how I feel, so I tend to need someone who is good at it. You wear your heart on your sleeve and I like that. You're extremely kind and caring and that's probably what I look for most in a woman: kindness. I'm a homebody so I work best with someone who is an introvert…And of course we all have our personal weaknesses."

Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?"

Alex blushed.

"Like…" she trailed off.

"Come on, tell me." Olivia couldn't help the grin on her face.

"I'm embarrassed."

"I won't tease you. I promise."

Alex sighed.

"Okay, well. I can't help gravitating towards women who are strong. Not strong in character although that is really attractive too, but who are physically strong. Like, seeing a woman lift something that I know is really heavy or seeing her take out a guy twice her size, it just makes me…I don't know but it really gets me going."

"Do you look for someone physically strong because you want to know she can protect you?"

"No, I don't think that's it. I mean, maybe…but I really don't think that's the reason."

"Then what do you think the reason is?"

"Um," Alex paused, unable to contain her embarrassed laugh. "It's actually because I like knowing that she could take control at any second."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I really enjoy having the control. As if you didn't already know that about me," she said, chuckling. "I like deciding where we're going to eat, the movie we're going to watch, what we're going to do on the weekend, all within reason of course. But the idea that if she wanted to, she could come up to me and change all the plans by grabbing me and forcing me to do what she wanted…It just really gets me going. Or if I were trying to take control when we were having sex," she blushed heavily, but continued, "the knowledge that she could take, or actually end up taking, total control of me is really…is something I find really…well, hot."

Alex paused for a second, collecting her thoughts.

"Sometimes it's nice to have that control taken away from you and to trust someone else to lead. Of course, only if you completely trust that person is it nice knowing they could take control of you."

Olivia nodded.

"I understand."

"And now I'm really embarrassed knowing you know this about me."

"Don't be. I can totally relate to everything you said. I definitely enjoy taking or ceding control during sex, depending on the situation."

"Tell me something embarrassing about yourself now, to even the playing field."

Olivia laughed, but pressed on her side this time to keep it from moving.

"Um…" she started, scratching the back of her head. "Well, okay, but you're not allowed to repeat it."

"Hey, you're being held to the same promise."

Olivia smiled.

"Alright. True. Well, I really, really enjoy being teased when I'm in a situation where I can't do anything about it. Like, if I'm having dinner with the guys, as much as I'll call my girlfriend a fucking tease, I love being sent dirty texts about like…" Olivia trailed off, supremely embarrassed.

"About?" Alex pressed.

"About what she's wearing, or about what she's…. _doing_. Or if she sends me a picture of herself half-dressed or completely undressed while I'm getting ready to go to a baseball game or in the middle of grocery shopping."

"Why do you like that?" she asked, making sure her tone sounded completely non-judgemental. She was genuinely curious.

"I mean I hate that I have to wait and I'm then turned on with no way to deal with it, but at the same time I love that because then it's like I'm on slow-burn until I can see the other person and it just makes the sex that much better after. Because we've both been waiting all day and so you jump the other person's bones the minute you see them."

Alex nodded.

"I never thought of that."

"You've never done it?"

She shook her head. "No. I mean, I've sent some racy texts but they were usually right before I was going to see the person. I've never exchanged pictures."

"Oh, man," Olivia said, chuckling. "You'll be in for a treat when you finally do."

Alex smiled, pausing to think about everything they had just told each other.

"This has been a real eye-opening conversation. I can't remember the last time I talked like this with someone." She paused. "It was nice to open up like this."

"I can't remember the last time I was this open with someone either. Probably not since Leah to be honest."

Alex smiled at her. She glanced at the clock and raised her eyebrows.

"Shit. It's almost eleven."

Olivia looked over at the clock.

"Oh my God. I didn't even notice. I'll drive you home."

"No, I can take the subway. I just didn't realise how late it was."

"You're not going to take the subway at 11 o'clock at night. Come on, I'll drive you."

"Detective-" Alex started, grabbing her files and putting them into her purse.

"Don't you "detective" me. I may have some bruised ribs but I'm still stronger than you and if I have to, I'll drag you to the car myself."

Alex, one hand on the doorknob, raised an eyebrow and looked the brunette right in the eye.

"You know how I feel about having a woman physically take control of me,  _detective._  If you do grab me, you better be willing to continue and then finish what you start."

With that, Alex led the way out of the apartment. Olivia stared after her, her pulse racing and stomach clenching at all the visuals that those two sentences triggered in her mind.

 

* * *

 

The brunette spent most of the rest of the weekend lounging in her apartment and trying her best not to text Alex. She knew the woman needed to work, but she couldn't get her off her mind. Thankfully Elliot came by Saturday afternoon and spent a couple of hours with her, helping to distract her. After he left, Olivia napped and then spent the evening eating take out and watching movies. The next morning, she lost herself in a Criminal Minds marathon on tv until Alex texted her in the afternoon, asking her if she was free in the evening to go over her testimony. Olivia did her best not to sound too eager, but still quickly agreed to the opportunity to see Alex.

So, the blonde had come over and took notes while Olivia spoke, so that she could then write up a document for the brunette to go over about what they would say at the trial next Friday. They spent several hours together, but to Olivia's dismay, it was mostly about work. When Alex finally left, Olivia was glad to no longer be talking about what had happened, but she was disappointed that the blonde was leaving.

She spent the rest of the evening sitting around the apartment, counting down the hours until work tomorrow. At least she was starting to feel better and would be out of this apartment in less than 12 hours.

By the next morning, Olivia felt more or less back to normal If she stretched or overexerted herself, she'd be hit with a wave of pain, but she wasn't going to tell the Captain that. She wanted to be working again and she felt that she was fit enough to be there, so as far as the Captain would know, she was 100% better.

The brunette walked into the precinct, happy to be back at work. Elliot greeted her with a big smile, happy to finally have his partner back at work.

"How you feeling?"

"Perfect. I'm glad to be back."

"We're glad to have you back. As much as I love these guys, it was depressing having nothing but their ugly mugs to look at while you were gone," Munch stated.

Olivia laughed.

"I missed you guys too."

The day went by quickly for the detective, since she had a few days' work to catch up on. Thompson and Daniels were in jail and were both set for trial next Friday. Olivia pretended that Alex hadn't told her that yesterday, and expressed her happiness when the guys informed her of this news.

Elliot then told her that they still had not caught the last perp, the leader of the ring, Dean Alderson, in whose home all of the abuse had taken place. He had been one of the first and the easiest to identify, but they were having the most trouble finding him. Once he got wind of what was happening, he had emptied his bank accounts, abandoned his home, and went under the radar. He was no longer using his credit cards, his vehicle, or his cellphone. They had his picture posted everywhere, and they were constantly receiving tips, but still hadn't caught him.

All four detectives were now currently working the phone lines, but it was Elliot and Olivia who were the ones following local leads, trying to figure out what leads were legitimate and which weren't.

It was a frustrating and time-consuming process, but it needed to be done. Because she was so busy now that she was back at work, Olivia hardly had time to see Alex. Not that the blonde had time to spare either. She was just as busy working towards trial in just over a week's time.

By Friday, Olivia realised that the only time she had actually seen Alex this week was when the blonde called her into her office to ask her a question. She would have loved to spend the weekend with her, but because she had been off so much last week, the brunette would be working the entire weekend. She had told the blonde this when she passed by her office Friday afternoon, but Alex smiled at her and told her they would see each other there since the woman had planned to be in her office most of the weekend anyway.

Monday rolled around and there was still no sign of Dean Alderson, despite the four detectives searching for him day and night. She knew she should be patient, but Olivia's patience was wearing thin. They had been working on this case for months now and she wanted to get this guy. She knew he would slip up sooner or later though, and when he did, they'd be right there to get him. Now if only he would make a mistake…

"Hey, detective."

The brunette's eyes immediately shot up at the familiar voice. When she saw Alex standing beside her desk, she smiled.

"This is a pleasant surprise. What are you still doing here?" Olivia asked, noticing the time.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I have no personal life and a mountain of work, so..."

Alex smiled at her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch tomorrow." Alex paused before adding, "I've missed you."

Olivia smiled warmly at her. "Of course I do," she answered. "I've missed you too."

"Are you going to be able to get away?"

"Yes, but probably not for long. It's Fin and Munch's turn to chase the leads this week, so El and I are here answering phones. It's easier to get away when you're manning the phones, but not for long."

"Okay. We won't go far."

Olivia smiled at her. This just made her entire night.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Alex smiled back. "Me too."

Olivia watched Alex leave, blatantly staring at the woman's ass as she walked away. Since no one was around, she didn't have to hide her ogling. God did she ever miss her. She'd been able to stay distracted because of the amount of work she had, but she always had to return home, where she was reminded how much she missed seeing Alex. Unfortunately, they were both extremely busy right now, and there was nothing she could do until she caught this guy. Just another reason she was so determined to catch him, she reminded herself. Until then, she had a date with Alex tomorrow, and that put a smile on her face for the rest of the evening..

_The next day: Tuesday. 12:11 pm._

"You've really never been here?" Alex asked, taking a seat near the window. The women each accepted a menu from their waitress, placed their drink orders, and then began talking again once the woman left.

"I might have a while ago, but I really don't remember. Elliot and I are usually away from the station, so I don't eat at too many restaurants nearby. And when I do, I stick to the same ones."

Alex nodded.

"Well, it's hard to screw up pizza, especially if that's the only thing you serve, so the food should be good."

"Yeah, let's hope they don't because I'm starving," Olivia said.

"You didn't have breakfast?"

"I had breakfast."

"What did you have?"

"Breakfast food."

"Answer the question."

"Uh… I plead the fifth."

"Sorry, detective. This is not a court of law; therefore, you cannot plead the fifth."

"I'm pretty sure I can plead the fifth anywhere," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"No, sorry. You're mistaken. Please answer the question."

Olivia laughed. She loved when Alex got playful.

"Fine. Elliot brought me a doughnut earlier."

"Detective, a doughnut is not breakfast."

"It had purple stuff inside. Purple is a fruit."

Alex stared at her. "You did not just quote Homer Simpson."

Olivia could not help laughing again.

"I can't believe you understood that reference!"

The blonde smiled at her.

"I watch television too, you know."

The waitress returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.

"I didn't really look at the menu but I know what I want. You?"

"I'd like a personal pepperoni and cheese pizza, please," Alex answered.

The waitress nodded and turned to Olivia.

"And for yourself?"

"I'll take a small loaded pizza."

"Very good. I'll be back in a few minutes."

After the waitress left, Alex looked at the woman before her.

"A loaded pizza? What's that?"

"It has everything on it. I feel like having a pizza overflowing with toppings."

Alex made a face.

"Whatever you say."

There was a brief pause of silence before Olivia asked her how her preparation for the trial was going.

"It's going. I've got most of it ready. I hope to finish by today or tomorrow and then spend Thursday rehearsing what I want to say."

"You only spend one day rehearsing?"

"No, I mean, I go over it as I'm getting ready but I make sure to have everything done the day before so that I can have that day to go over the final details. Usually by the day before I know it all by heart anyway because I've gone over it so many times while preparing for trial."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"I like to be prepared."

"That's why you're one of the best."

Alex smiled at the compliment.

"Thanks."

"So, anything new? I feel like we haven't gotten to talk in so long."

"I know. I've missed our talks."

"Me too," Olivia agreed.

"I haven't really been doing anything, though. I get pretty consumed with my work."

"I can definitely relate."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now. I don't really feel anything anymore. I think I'm back to normal."

"Good. I'm glad."

"So am I. I like being lazy and watching tv every once in a while, but not for four days straight."

Alex chuckled.

"I understand that."

The waitress returned with their meals, and Olivia could feel her mouth watering when she saw the pizza placed before her. The waitress wished them a good meal and left, just in time for Olivia to groan with anticipation.

"This looks  _so_  good."

She picked up a piece and took a bite, groaning again. Alex laughed at her before lifting a piece of her own pizza to her lips.

"You are so weird," she said, taking a bite.

The brunette shrugged and continued eating. She managed to finish her entire pizza, while Alex only managed half of hers.

"I feel like a pig next to you."

"I don't eat much."

"Well, I do. I wish Elliot were here. At least I wouldn't look so bad," she said, chuckling at herself. "I'm used to eating with men."

"You're lucky though. You might eat a lot but it doesn't show."

"I spend my days chasing people or walking to different crime scenes. I would definitely have to watch myself if my job weren't so active."

"Well then thank your lucky stars you're in this field."

Alex had her pizza put in a takeaway container. The women each paid for their lunch and then returned to the station.

"Thanks for accompanying me to lunch, detective. It was nice to see you."

"It was really nice seeing you too. You know," she started, then paused for a second. "You can call me Olivia."

"Would you like me to?"

"I don't mind when you call me detective. But I also like it when you say my name," she admitted, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Okay, Olivia," she said, testing out the name on her tongue. It sounded foreign, but nice. "Thanks for accompanying me to lunch."

"Anytime," the brunette smiled. She gave a small wave to the woman before turning and heading back to the precinct.

 


	3. Chapter 3

_Wednesday evening. Alex's Apartment._

It had been a long, headache-filled day for the blonde and she was glad to finally be home. She walked into the elevator, pressed the button for her floor, and sank against the wall. A long bubble bath awaited her and that's all she'd been thinking about for the last three hours. Good God she could not wait for that bath.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Just a few more feet and she could soak in the tub. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door, pushing it open.

All thoughts of a bath disappeared the moment she stepped inside. Why was it so cold in her apartment? She made a move to turn on the light but before she could, she felt herself being slammed against the wall as her door was kicked closed.

"Don't move, bitch. You're gonna listen good and no one is gonna get hurt," he said in a low voice. Alex felt her pulse race, her mind now going a mile a minute as her heart beat hard against her chest. She was petrified, but she did her best to focus on staying calm. She had to remain calm.

She felt him pushing hard in her stomach with his fist, forcing her to breathe slowly so that she didn't vomit. He had a knife to her throat. She didn't know how big it was, but she could feel it pressing hard against her pulse. "You're gonna drop this case and you're gonna drop it now. You're not gonna prosecute Richard  _or_ Chris on Friday and you're gonna drop all of this now."

She said nothing. This was definitely Dean Alderson, the man Olivia and Elliot had been trying to locate. He pressed harder against her, forcing her breath out of her throat. She could feel herself starting to panic.

"Do you understand me?"

She couldn't speak, so she simply nodded. He loosened his grip on her slightly, enough so that she could breathe again.

"I know what you look like. I know where you live. I know where you work. I know everything I need to know about you to get rid of you. If you don't drop this case, next time I see you, I will put this knife through your throat," he said, twisting the knife so that the pointed end pushed into her skin.

"Hear me?"

"Yes," she whispered. She stood perfectly still, forcing herself to remain calm, doing her best not to set him off. He could decide right now it wasn't worth it and end her life. She had no way to defend herself and no way to escape.

He looked hard into her eyes, staring for a moment, before he released the pressure on her stomach. Pain coursed through her belly, but she was distracted by the hand that was now roaming along her sides.

"Where is your cellphone!" he barked.

She moved a shaky hand to the right front pocket of her suit jacket. He shoved her hand away and grabbed it. He then slammed it on the ground, crushing it with his foot.

"You will count to twenty before you move an inch. Do you hear me?"

She nodded and he once again pressed against her hard for one final moment, then threw her to the ground before quickly exiting the apartment.

Alex sat on the floor of the apartment, staring at her two hands flat against the hardwood floor. She forced back everything she felt. She would not lose it here. She would not break down and sob hysterically like she wanted to. She would get to Olivia. She needed to get to Olivia. Olivia needed to know this information.

Alex felt herself starting to hyperventilate, so she sat still, focusing on breathing slowly through her nose. She forced herself to calm down. She needed to get out of here though. She had to get out of here.

She pushed herself up, once again forcing the tears from her eyes. She couldn't help the shaking, but she would get herself downstairs regardless. She slowly grabbed her purse, put one hand on the door handle, and looked through the peephole. The hallway was empty. She slowly opened the door, peeking to see if anyone was there.

She slid out the door, closing it and locking the deadbolt. She was now on autopilot. She needed to get to Olivia.

Alex took the elevator down, hailed a cab, mumbled the address and avoided the driver's questions of concern. She knew where she needed to go. When they arrived at Olivia's building, she paid the driver and walked to the main entrance. She pressed the buzzer for Olivia's apartment and waited a second, jumping when she heard the door open.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

The man smiled at her and she slid inside when he held the door open, saying nothing and avoiding his gaze. She quickly made her way to Olivia's apartment, knocking furiously on her door.  _Please be home. Please._  She had no phone and no way to contact her if she was out. She didn't know where else she would go.

She knocked again. No answer. She leaned against the wall, pushing hard against it with her head. She bit her bottom lip and fought the tears that were pushing hard against her eyes. She banged her head, trying to distract herself from the desire to just collapse on the floor and sob her heart out.

She gasped loudly and jerked away from the wall when she heard the elevator ding. She quickly wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to force a smile at whoever was going to exit the elevator. She didn't feel like dealing with any of Olivia's neighbours, but maybe they would know where she went. It was a long shot but…

The doors opened and Alex was immediately flooded with a wave of relief, but at the same time, the tears filled her eyes again and she couldn't fight them. Olivia stepped out of the elevator and the smile she bore when she first saw the blonde quickly disappeared when she saw the state Alex was in.

"Alex?"

The woman jogged to her, watching as the woman tightly held a hand over her mouth, silently sobbing against it. Her other hand had a death grip against her waist.

"Alex. Alex, what's wrong?"

The woman shook her head and nodded towards her door. Olivia immediately understood and fumbled for her keys, clumsily opening the door. She tossed the bag of take-out she had in her hand to the floor and turned on the light before guiding the blonde into the apartment. She had just enough time to lock the door behind them before the woman broke into heart-wrenching sobs.

Olivia turned and pulled her tight against her chest, feeling her heart race loudly against her ribcage. Alex was clinging to her, only standing because Olivia was holding her up.

"Alex, honey, you're scaring me. What happened?"

The woman tightened her grip, crying hard into Olivia's shoulder.

"Okay, honey. Okay. You're okay. You're safe. It's okay."

She held Alex tight, guiding them down to the floor where she could properly hold the woman. She pulled Alex into her lap, holding her close.

"You need to talk to me, Alex. What happened?"

She heard her try and speak, but she couldn't make out anything through the sobs. It would be easier to ask yes or no questions instead, so Olivia chose to do that.

"Were you attacked?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

The woman nodded, shaking in her arms, still crying. Olivia's heart beat faster.

"Okay honey, okay. You're safe." She needed to ask the next question, but she was terrified of the answer. "Were you raped?" she asked gently.

Alex paused, then shook her head. Olivia felt the heat of relief flood her body.  _Oh thank God._

"Okay honey. You're doing great. You're okay. One more question: are you hurt anywhere? Do we need to go to a hospital?"

There was another pause, and then Alex shook her head. Olivia's eyes watered with relief. Whatever else it was, she would handle it. Just as long as Alex was safe and unhurt. Olivia relaxed her body and focused on the woman in her arms, still shaking and crying softly against her.

"You're okay, sweetheart. You're safe now. I'm so sorry it happened. You're okay now."

She had no idea what had happened, but it had obviously scared the shit out of the usually stoic blonde. She held Alex tight, rubbing her back and rocking her slowly as the sobs washed over her body. Olivia held her close, waiting patiently until the sobs slowly started to dissipate, indicating that Alex was starting to calm down. She waited through the occasional soft cry, the hiccoughs, and then eventually there was silence. She continued rocking the other woman, rubbing her back, until Alex started to pull away.

She didn't look at Olivia, instead choosing to look down at the floor. Olivia tucked Alex's hair behind her ears and looked at her face. It was beet red and looked so distraught. Her heart broke into a million pieces.

She reached to the bag of take out and ripped it open. She grabbed the stack of napkins and gently wiped at Alex's cheeks. She handed her the rest, keeping a grip on the woman's lower back as Alex turned and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Alex dropped the napkins on the floor and slid off of Olivia's lap, but stayed glued against her legs. Olivia reached out and put a hand around Alex's waist and rested the other on her knee.

"I need you to tell me what happened, Alex."

Alex took a deep breath, her eyes tearing up again. Her head was spinning from having cried so hard. And yet, she felt like she wanted to cry some more. She gingerly looked up at Olivia, who looked so concerned Alex thought Olivia would cry too.

She cleared her throat and slowly began to recount what happened, tears streaming down her face. Olivia could feel herself growing both angrier and guiltier as Alex went on, but she forced those emotions away. She forced herself to concentrate on what the woman was saying and not on how she should have been there to protect her. As the blonde continued talking, Olivia thought more and more about the fact that she needed to call Elliot. They needed to get to Alex's apartment as soon as possible.

When Alex stopped talking, Olivia wrapped her arms around her again and pulled her close. She kissed her temple and held her for a few minutes. The blonde curled up into her side, wrapping her arms around Olivia's waist. Alex felt better, protected, now that she was in Olivia's arms.

"I have to call Elliot."

Alex sighed and nodded.

"I know."

She tried to pull away, but Olivia held her in place.

"I can call like this."

Alex smiled to herself and rested her head against Olivia's chest once again. She closed her eyes and listened to the woman's voice. She liked the way it sounded against Olivia's ribcage. She tried to block out the sound of her words. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear anything. She wanted to ignore what had happened, forget it. She knew she would have to give an official statement, but for right now, she just wanted to be in the comfort of Olivia's arms. She didn't care if it made her look weak. She just wanted to be held.

Olivia hung up the phone and hugged Alex.

"He's going to come by here and grab your keys so that he can get in, okay?"

Alex nodded.

"Okay," she whispered.

"When he comes back, he'll probably get a statement from you."

She nodded again.

There was a pause before Olivia started talking again.

"Alex, I am  _so_  sorry-"

"Don't-"

"No. Let me get it out. I am so sorry that this happened. I am so sorry that I wasn't there with you. I feel such horrible guilt that I wasn't there to rip his fucking face off. I promise you we will get him," she said angrily.

She pulled away and held Alex's shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"We will find him, okay? And until we do, I'll make sure you're safe."

Alex smiled weakly and nodded.

"I know. That's why I came to you," she admitted, unable to help feeling a little embarrassed. "I knew I'd be safe."

It felt so good to hear that, Olivia thought to herself.

"I'm glad you came to me, Alex. Really glad."

The brunette reached out and tucked Alex's hair behind her shoulder, frowning when the woman flinched. She pushed the hair out of the way and her eyes narrowed on the raw skin there.

"This is where…" she trailed off.

Alex nodded. The area was red and irritated. There were faint scratch marks where something sharp had obviously rubbed, but not quite cut through. Olivia pulled out her phone and texted Elliot, saying that he needed to bring a camera. She received a text a few minutes later saying Fin had already grabbed it. She tucked her phone away and turned back to the woman. She pulled her close again.

"How are you doing?"

Alex sighed. It was silly for her to stay against Olivia now that she was calm. She slid away from the brunette and looked at her, forcing a small smile.

"I'm okay. Thanks for comforting me."

Olivia reached out and rubbed her arm.

"Anytime, Alex. You can come to me at any time."

Alex nodded, biting her bottom lip.

"I must look awful."

Olivia shook her head.

"You look beautiful."

She didn't know what it was that made her shiver. Maybe it was the intensity of Olivia's gaze, maybe it was the sincerity in her voice, or maybe it was just because it came from the lips of the woman she had grown to love. Even through this traumatic event, Olivia still affected her.

The brunette looked at her for another minute before standing up. She reached out her hand and pulled the blonde up.

"Come on."

She led the way to the couch, sitting down and pulling Alex with her. She tucked the woman into her side, taking the light blanket from the back of the couch and draping it over her. She cuddled Alex tight, placing a soft kiss on the side of her head. The blonde sighed shakily. She was so glad to be here with Olivia, but she was still fighting the thoughts in her head about what had just happened to her. It was like her mind was on "replay", repeating the events of that night. She saw his eyes flash before her, so she turned and buried her face in Olivia's side.

Olivia held her close, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her, until the buzzer went off. Olivia was then forced to slowly slide from Alex's embrace and make her way over. She buzzed Elliot up and unlocked her door.

"Are you ready for this?"

Alex nodded.

"I'm okay."

"Okay."

Olivia walked back over to the couch. Alex slid away, putting some distance between the two of them. A few minutes later, they heard a knock, followed by the door being opened.

"Hi."

Olivia got up and met him at the door.

"Hey."

"Hi, Alex."

Olivia noticed the woman's demeanor had changed completely. Her walls were back up.

"Hello, detective."

She got up and went to her purse, pulling out her keys.

"I'm in apartment 5B."

"Okay. Thank you."

He took the keys and put them in his pocket.

"You're not going alone, are you?" Olivia asked with concern.

"No. Fin is with me but I thought it would be best if I came up alone."

 _Good call,_  Olivia thought.

"I'm sorry, Alex, but I have to take pictures of your neck and any other marks you have."

"It's just my neck."

He nodded. She pulled her hair out of the way and exposed the wounded area. His face remained neutral as he approached to take pictures. After he finished, he thanked her and turned to Olivia.

"I'll call you if we find anything."

"Thanks, El."

She closed the door behind him and then turned to Alex.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded curtly.

"I just noticed your food when I grabbed my purse. I'm sorry. It must be cold now. Do you want to eat?"

Olivia heard the stiffness in her voice and saw the rigidity of her posture. She was pushing her away.

"Don't shut me out, Alex," she pleaded. She took a step forward and held out her hand. "Please."

The blonde felt herself crumbling. It was a feeble attempt at trying to save face, trying to seem strong before her. But she was so broken. She took Olivia's hand, her shoulders dropping.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I know you're hurting. But please don't shut me out."

"Okay," she said softly.

Olivia sad and gathered her in her arms. She pulled her close, feeling guilty for enjoying the way the woman felt in her arms.

"Why did you try to push me away?" she murmured gently.

Alex closed her eyes, not wanting to admit how she felt. She didn't want to open up like this.

"Hmm?" the brunette pressed.

"I didn't…I don't want you to think I'm weak. That I'm pathetic. Crying and-and breaking down like I did."

Olivia shifted so that she was looking at Alex.

"Alex, I do  _not_  think you are weak. I have never once thought that. You're unbelievably strong. In fact, I don't know how the hell you managed to get yourself from your apartment to mine without breaking down on the side of the street. You're brave. You survived a terrifying ordeal and you still managed to get yourself somewhere safe. You're smart, you're tough as nails, and you are strong."

Alex managed a small smile.

"I could never think you're weak, Alex. I think you gave the exact reaction anyone would give after what just happened, including myself. I admire you, Alex. I really do."

The blonde felt shy all of a sudden, smiling down at her hands.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Olivia tugged her close again and held her.

"I'm so glad you're safe."

"Thanks for keeping me safe."

"Always."

She rubbed her arm soothingly. They sat there quietly, each in their own thoughts. Alex was trying to force what happened from her mind, choosing instead to focus on Olivia's breathing and the way her chest moved up and down with each breath she took. Olivia, on the other hand, was going through the dozens of questions she had for Alex. What else did he say? Did he hint at where he was staying? Did he say he'd been in New York all this time? Did he hint that he was going to be staying for a while? Did he look any different? Shaved beard? Short hair? Glasses? Had he gained or lost any weight? There were so many questions in her mind but she couldn't ask them right now. Elliot would have to ask her all of these things and she didn't want Alex to have to repeat herself again.

She knew the only reason Elliot hadn't questioned her right away was because a) he needed to get to the crime scene ASAP and b) Olivia had asked him to give them some time. She hoped he had understood that by "them" she meant Alex. The blonde needed some time to calm down. So, they sat on her couch until Elliot called and said he was on his way back. She continued to hold Alex until the buzzer rang, at which time she pulled away again and went to unlock the door. She then picked up her take-out and placed it on the kitchen counter.

There was a knock on the door, prompting Olivia to quickly turn from the kitchen and rush over to open it. This time, both Fin and Elliot walked in. They nodded at her and closed the door behind them.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"How you doin'?" Fin asked.

"I'm alright. Did you find anything?"

"Well, we know he came in through your bedroom window since it was still partly open. They dusted for prints in and around the area. We got a few partials and a couple good thumb prints. There's surveillance videos the super gave us, so we're gonna go over those in the next few days. We spoke to your neighbours as well, but nobody saw or heard anything suspicious. We locked your windows and the door when we left," Elliot finished, handing her her keys.

So they can prove he was at the apartment, which was good, but Alex had hoped they would find him…Regardless, she was grateful they went.

"Thanks, Elliot. Both of you. I appreciate it."

Elliot nodded.

"We're gonna go back tomorrow when it's light out so we can see better. Maybe we'll get more."

There was a brief silence before Fin interrupted it.

"We need to ask you a few questions. About Alderson. We can ask you before or after you give your statement, whichever feels better to you."

Alex nodded.

"Let's just answer them now. Get it over with."

"Okay."

They asked her the questions Olivia had been wondering about earlier. Alex said he looked no different than the pictures she saw of him, other than the fact that he had a five o'clock shadow. He hadn't put on weight, his hair looked the same, and he still wasn't wearing glasses.  _That's good,_  Olivia thought. They didn't need to alter any of their photographs. They asked her a few more questions before then stating that, when she was ready, she could start giving an official statement.

Alex nodded and took a deep breath as she slowly recounted what happened, giving extremely specific details, including the sound and tone of his voice. She didn't state anything personal about her emotional state other than that she was "frightened". Her voice remained even. Fin and Elliot kept their expressions blank, nodding along. Elliot wrote as she spoke, while Fin taped her statement. Olivia bit her tongue as she listened, the knot in her stomach growing. She was sickened, sad, angry, disgusted, and she wanted nothing better than to kick the shit out of this bastard. She wanted him to suffer for everything he had done to each of those children and for what he had done to Alex tonight.

The blonde finished talking, her voice having remained neutral the entire time, even though it was hell to have to relive it all again. She was an expert at hiding her emotions, but she was so drained. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this front, so she was relieved that they were leaving now. The men nodded their thanks and apologised that this happened to her. They promised that they would all be working overtime for this and that they would find him. Alex smiled her appreciation and thanked them for everything they were doing. Olivia followed them to the door and saw them out.

"So, nothing?" Olivia asked quietly.

They shook their heads once they were in the hallway.

"We're gonna be on this, Liv. Don't worry. We're gonna find him."

The brunette nodded.

"How's she doing?" Elliot asked, careful not to speak too loudly.

"She's shaken up but she's okay."

"She's not going back there, is she?"

Olivia shook her head.

"No."

"Good. She needs to stay away until we find this guy," Fin answered.

"I agree. Thanks for everything, guys."

"No problem, Liv. You take care of her."

She smiled.

"She'll be okay. Be careful."

They nodded and headed over to the elevator. Olivia closed and locked the door before heading back to Alex.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, then paused. "He got in because of me."

"What?"

"I thought no one would ever be able to climb in my windows. I'm on the fifth floor after all. I never locked my windows. Ever. I thought it was safe." She shook her head. "How stupid," she said bitterly.

"It's not stupid, Alex. You're not the only one who doesn't lock their windows, especially when you live in an apartment. In fact, I know tons of people who keep them wide open. I mean, at night in the summer, I leave mine open too. No one ever suspects things like this will happen. You weren't stupid."

"I feel like I was."

"Don't let him do that to you, Alex."

The blonde felt her anger stirring. She hated that she let that happen to herself. Normally, she was so careful. She hated him for making her fearful. She hated him for terrorizing her in her own home. She hated him for threatening her. She hated him for all the things he had done and allowed to be done to those children.

"What a sick fucking bastard."

Olivia swallowed her surprise. She had never heard Alex speak like that.

"Yes, he is. He's at fault in all of this and we  _will_  find him."

Alex stayed quiet and looked out Olivia's windows.

"Do you lock your windows?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, but these windows don't open anymore."

Alex looked at her, doubtful.

"This apartment can be a bit of a… crap shack, for lack of a better word. Some things decided to stop working. Like my windows in the living room for example. They haven't opened in about three years. I keep meaning to get them fixed but honestly, it doesn't bother me enough to go through the hassle. Especially since I work so much so I'm never here. The window in the bedroom opens but there's no way to get to it unless you were to fly. The fire escape only reaches here in the living room."

"Isn't it illegal for your windows leading to the fire escape to be sealed shut?"

"Well, they're not technically sealed. They just don't open."

"You know what I mean."

Olivia smiled.

"Yeah, I do. If ever there's a fire, I'll just smash through with a chair. I have big guns you know," she said, flexing her arms.

Alex rolled her eyes, and for the first time since arriving, the smile she gave was genuine. She smiled at her for another minute before turning back to the windows.

"You're sure they're locked?"

"Yes."

Olivia got up and flipped the latches.

"Now they're unlocked." She yanked hard on the window, grunting as she strained to open them. She attempted both windows several times before turning to Alex. "They just don't budge." She locked the latches again.

"I'm going to check the bedroom right now."

She walked over to the bedroom and checked the lock. It was definitely still locked. She walked back to the living room.

"It's locked. And I have my gun with me, if someone were to attempt to come in. You're safe here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thank you."

"Do you feel more relieved or is there something else I can do? Do you need me to check anything else?" Olivia glanced at the door and saw that both the deadbolt and the lock on the handle were set.

"No. If you've checked everything, then I feel better."

"I have, I promise. There's no other way in."

Alex nodded, rubbing her hands together. It was now after eleven and, although she was mentally and physically exhausted, she knew there was no way she would sleep.

"Are you hungry at all? I don't know when you ate last…"

Alex shook her head. She wasn't hungry.

"I'm not, no. But you must be. Eat what you got earlier. What  _did_  you get anyway?"

"I don't want to eat in front of you."

"Don't. Because then you'll make me feel guilty that I'm not hungry."

Olivia paused. She didn't want to do that.

"Okay. I got Chinese. From the place I brought you to."

"Did you get the dinner for three again?" she said, teasing her.

"No!" She paused. "I got the dinner for two."

She went to the kitchen, leaving Alex to laugh alone in the living room. It was great to hear her laughing again.

Olivia took out a plate, dumping more food than she would probably eat, but she was so hungry that she just piled everything on just in case. She felt guilty for being hungry, considering everything Alex went through, but she couldn't help it.

She popped the plate in the microwave and got herself a glass of water. She brought it to the living room and asked the blonde what she wanted to drink.

"I'll just have water too please."

"Are you sure? I have iced tea. And warm pop."

The blonde gave a small smile.

"Just water."

"Okay."

The brunette got her a glass and returned with some water.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"That would be nice. A comedy or something light."

Olivia nodded.

"I know just the thing." She flipped through the DVDs until she found the one she was looking for. "Have you ever seen  _Imagine Me & You_?"

"No."

"Ah, perfect. This is what you want to watch."

She took the DVD out and put it in the player. She turned to Alex and noticed that she was in her work outfit.

"Do you want to change into pjs?"

Alex looked down, finally noticing that she was still wearing her suit. No wonder she hadn't been comfortable.

"I don't have any."

"No, but I do. They'll be a little bit big, but they'll work."

Before waiting for Alex to respond, she went to the bedroom and pulled out a pair of pyjamas from her top drawer. They weren't technically pyjamas, but Olivia often wore these to bed.

"Here," she said, handing them to Alex, who had followed her to the bedroom.

"Thanks."

Olivia left the room and returned to the kitchen to check on her food. The microwave had long ago stopped and her food was steaming when she opened the door. She carried her plate out to the living room and sat down, taking a huge forkful to her mouth and chewing. She looked up when she heard the bedroom door open. She immediately stopped chewing when she saw the blonde. She looked damn good in her clothes.

"I see now why you picked this one out," Alex said, looking down at the t-shirt, which clearly stated "NYPD- New York's Finest". The pants also had a "NYPD" print, which matched the shirt.

"You may not be a cop, but you're New York's finest attorney."

The blonde smiled and padded over to her, sitting next to her on the couch. She looked over at her plate, eyebrows raised at the amount of food on her plate.

"You were hungry."

"Yeah yeah. I'm a pig," Olivia said, teasing. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

Alex hesitated.

"Okay. Now that I smell it, it does smell really good."

The blonde got up before Olivia could.

"I'll get it," she said, knowing full well the woman would go and get her what she needed. She returned with a single fork.

Olivia looked at her confused, until Alex sat next to her and pulled the plate so it was between them.

"I have other plates if you want."

"I know but I figured we can just share."

"We don't have to. I can get you a plate."

"Does it bother you if I share?"

"No, I'm just saying if you want your own-"

"I don't," she said, smiling. "I want to share with you."

  1.  Olivia smiled back. That was nice. She held Alex's gaze for another minute before turning away. She grabbed the remote and pressed "play". The women ate in comfortable silence until the plate was empty.



"Should I get you some more? I know I'm full but I'm pretty sure that was just an appetizer for you," Alex said, teasing.

"You're such an asshole," Olivia answered, laughing. "Give me that before I beat you."

Alex laughed and handed her the fork, giggling and moving away when the woman swatted at her playfully. Olivia placed the dishes in the sink and then went to the bedroom, changing into her own pyjamas, grabbing a blanket and pillow, and then joined Alex in the living room.

"You going to fall asleep on me, detective?"

Olivia smiled. She loved that Alex was feeling playful now.

"Maybe after I digest. Nobody likes heartburn."

She pulled the coffee table away from the couch and then sat next to Alex, throwing the pillow where she planned on laying later. She covered the blonde with the blanket before covering herself too. Alex cuddled in close, laying her head on Olivia's shoulder. The brunette felt the giddiness rush over her. Alex was laying her head on her shoulder!

Things had been shifting between them since they had come out to each other. There had been some light flirting, or  _compliments_ , as Olivia used to say to herself before she knew Alex was gay. Maybe Alex really was interested and that's why she was making passes. Or maybe she just enjoyed flirting. Who didn't enjoy flirting? Olivia loved it.

Olivia gave herself a mental shake. She decided not to overthink it. This was not the time anyway. For now, she would just enjoy the time alone with the blonde.

It hadn't taken long for Alex to realise Olivia had chosen a lesbian film. She felt herself get excited. She hadn't seen a good lesbian film in so long and this one was definitely looking promising. She enjoyed watching the two women on the screen, even though she secretly wished there were more sweet, romantic scenes of them.

Sometime later, Alex could feel a familiar pressure growing in her bladder. She ignored it, not wanting to stop the movie and definitely not wanting to break away from Olivia. The brunette had rested her hand on Alex's knee not long after the blonde had leaned up against her, and Alex was afraid that if she moved, Olivia would retract her hand. So, she desperately tried to focus on the movie and not on the fact that she needed to pee so freaking badly. However, after about an hour, there really was no more fighting it. It had been hours since she had gone last and there was no way she could hold it anymore.

"Can we pause the movie, please? I really have to go to the bathroom."

"Do you or is the movie that bad that you need a break from it?"

Alex laughed as she got up.

"No, I really do like it. I just really have to go."

While she was out of the room, Olivia decided to grab the pillow she had brought, laying it more comfortably against the armrest of the couch. She got up and turned off the light, then made her way back to lay down, draping the blanket over her body. This would be the biggest leap she had taken thus far with Alex: spooning on the couch. She didn't know if Alex would go for it, but she hoped that she would. It would be nice to hold the woman this way, getting to feel her entire body against her own. She hoped it didn't seem inappropriate, given what had happened tonight to Alex, but Olivia wasn't trying to be forward. She just wanted to hold Alex.

She heard the toilet flush. Her insides tightened with nervousness when she heard the bathroom door open. Alex came back, a look of surprise on her face.

"It got dark in here fast."

"I turned off the light."

"I see that," she said, approaching the couch.

"And where do you expect me to sit, detective?"

"Not sit, lay. I thought maybe you'd feel more comfortable if we lay down for a bit."

"You did, did you?" Alex thought it was a sneaky way of getting them to spoon, but she smiled regardless. Lying down with the brunette sounded really nice.

Olivia lifted the blanket, revealing a space big enough for Alex to lie down in. The brunette was tight against the back of the couch, but even still, Alex would have to lie on her side to fit comfortably. The blonde hesitated for half a second more before lying next to her. She smiled to herself when Olivia shifted so that she was lying flush against Alex's back. She could feel every single inch of her, including her breasts. They were pressed firmly against her back, and Alex had to fight hard not to think of them.

Olivia tugged on the blanket so that it covered Alex. She then shifted around, placing her arm on her side, then her hip. The most comfortable place would be near her front, behind Alex, but she couldn't because there wasn't enough room. When shifting her arm again, cradling it into her side, the blonde reached back and grabbed it, bringing it around to cuddle her middle. Olivia smiled to herself and bit her lip, her stomach clenching with happiness. She cuddled close, wrapping her arm further around the blonde and smiling. She was spooning Alex, and Alex initiated closer contact!

All thoughts of what had happened earlier that evening were replaced by this new high both women were experiencing, reveling in the feel of the other woman pressed close. Olivia was pretty sure this is what Heaven felt like... 

* * *

 

Olivia woke up some time later to the DVD start menu playing in the background. She pushed up enough so that she could see Alex's face. She was sleeping comfortably. Olivia didn't want to wake her, but the brunette was extremely stiff from lying on the couch. With enough time, Alex would be too.

She gently pulled her hand from Alex's stomach, even though she really didn't want to, and softly shook her side. The blonde gasped and opened her eyes.

"Hey, sorry. We fell asleep."

Alex took a deep breath in and groaned, shaking her head and stretching a little.

"I don't want to move."

"You say that now but one night on this couch will render you a cripple."

The blonde giggled into the pillow, paused for a second, and then sighed.

"Okay, okay."

She slowly got up, followed by Olivia. The detective turned off the tv and gathered the pillow and blanket while Alex went to the bathroom. She had just finished making the bed when the blonde joined her.

"I really need to get a toothbrush tomorrow."

Olivia smiled.

"You're in luck."

She went to the bathroom and pulled out a new toothbrush from under the sink.

"I don't want to take yours. It's okay."

"No these are spares. When Elliot and I have to travel, I don't like taking my toothbrush. I just take one of these cheap ones and then throw it out when I'm done with it. One less thing to think about on my way home. I'll be going with Elliot tomorrow to your apartment and I'll grab some of your things then."

Alex nodded. They hadn't discussed if she'd be staying for a while, but Alex was happy to hear that Olivia planned on it.

"Do you mind if I stay here?"

"I want you to. I feel better knowing where you are."

Alex smiled at her. She held her gaze for another second before she held the toothbrush up.

"Well, thanks. I'll go brush my teeth now."

"Okay."

Alex brushed her teeth and returned to the bedroom. Olivia then took her turn getting ready for bed. When she came back, she immediately turned off the light and slid into bed, taking the side closest to the window.

"Considering it's 2 a.m., I think it's safe to say we're going to be going in a little late. Elliot has already called the Captain and he told me to make sure you're kept safe, so I think he'll be okay with us being a little late. I set the alarm for eight, and that'll give us an hour to get ready and to be at the station by 9:30. Does that sound okay?"

"Yes, perfect."

"If you want to change any of that, you can. You have the right to your opinion."

"I know. I think that's good," she said, turning towards the brunette. "Thanks, Olivia. Thanks for…going out of your way for me."

The detective smiled at her, reaching out to grab her hand.

"It's not out of my way when I'm happy to do it. I want to."

Alex smiled back at her.

"Well, regardless, thank you."

"You're welcome. Get some sleep, okay?"

Alex nodded.

"Are you going to be able to sleep?"

She hesitated. "I think so."

"If you need anything, or you get upset or something, please wake me up."

"I will."

"I hope so. I want to know."

"Okay. I'll wake you up then."

"Good. Sleep tight, Alex," she said, squeezing her hand.

"Goodnight, Olivia."

Alex turned over on her side to completely face Olivia. She continued to hold her hand, falling asleep with it in her own.

The following morning, the women woke up to the sound of Olivia's alarm. They each took a shower (separately) and got dressed. Alex was forced to wear the same outfit she had yesterday, but Olivia promised to bring her a change of clothes after she was at her apartment.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like me to bring back?"

"I was thinking about it and I think I have a load of clean laundry in a basket by my bed. There's going to be a few things I can wear in there, but if you can grab a few suits from my closet, I'd appreciate it. And a few black heels. And my coat that's hanging on my kitchen chair."

"I'll try and remember all of this."

"Just grab what you think I'll need and if I'm missing anything, I'll just buy it or do without."

"Okay. Text me if you think of anything else you need."

"I will."

They continued to get ready and while Alex did her hair and make-up, Olivia went to the coffee shop around the corner to get coffee and bagels. She would really need to do groceries if she had company.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, handing Alex a bagel and a coffee.

The blonde nodded, so Olivia made her way to the door and opened it. They were going to take her car this time, in light of what had happened. Normally Olivia took the subway, but she didn't feel comfortable bringing Alex, so she decided to just drive.

The women got into the vehicle, driving to work in comfortable silence. When they got to the station, Olivia led the way inside and stopped when they reached Alex's office.

"You gonna be okay?"

The blonde nodded.

"I'm okay here."

"Good. If you need anything…"

"I'll text you."

"Okay," Olivia reached out and squeezed the woman's arm affectionately. She let go after a second and made her way into the precinct.

When they saw her walk in the door, the guys immediately made their way over, asking how Alex was doing. She pointed in the direction of her office, telling them that they could ask her themselves. Fin and Munch took her up on the offer, while Elliot chose to stay behind. He had seen her yesterday, so he didn't feel the need to check up on her again.

"You ready to go?"

"Are you in a rush?" he asked.

"I want to see if we find anything."

"Alright. But I'm driving."

They made their way to Alex's apartment, Olivia raising her eyebrows when she saw it.

"This place makes mine look like a shithole."

Alex's living room alone was the size of Olivia's living room, kitchen, and probably bathroom too. It was massive and there were big bay windows letting in an enormous amount of light. Olivia didn't want to know how much she was spending on this apartment.

She made her way to the bedroom, grabbing the laundry basket Alex had described and making her way to the closet. She grabbed a few of the suits she remembered seeing the blonde in as well as several pairs of shoes. She tossed the shoes in the basket, but placed the suits on the bed so they wouldn't wrinkle. She'd come back for those.

She made her way to Alex's dresser and grabbed a sweater, some jeans, a few more tops, and a pair of short shorts she found in the second drawer. It was not because, secretly, she wanted her to wear them. She would need them. For something.

She then opened up the top drawer and, without really looking, grabbed a handful of underwear and socks and threw them in the basket. Part of her wanted to check out what kind of things Alex had in her underwear drawer, but she didn't look. That would be too big a violation of her privacy.

After she finished with the clothes, she went over to the bathroom and grabbed the blonde's toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and a few other things she saw laying around. She grabbed the coat Alex had wanted and tossed it in as well. The basket was now overflowing, so she stopped. She had more than enough stuff in there anyway.

"Did you get everything she needed?"

Olivia nodded.

"Okay. Captain wants us at the precinct to interview Thompson about Alderson's whereabouts. Thinks he might know where he is or where he's hiding. Munch and Fin'll come here later."

"Alright."

The brunette made her way back to the bedroom and grabbed the suits. As she turned to leave, she noticed something pink poking out from under Alex's pillow. Curious, she made her way over and pulled out a small, tattered, pink stuffed bunny. She couldn't help smiling. Alex could be so damn cute. She still slept with a stuffy!

She hid the bunny under the suits and walked back to the living room. She buried the stuffed animal under the pile of clothes in the basket before handing the suits to Elliot.

"Here. Carry these, will ya?"

"Yes, ma'am."

They made their way downstairs and back to the vehicle. They placed Alex's things in the back before getting in their seats and driving off.

"Alex isn't gonna still prosecute this guy, is she?"

"I don't know. We didn't talk about it, but honestly, I think she'll still want to do it. If they let her, that is."

Elliot shook her head.

"She doesn't scare easy."

"No. She doesn't."

"Are you worried about her?"

"Yes. And no. I'd be more worried if she didn't have us all looking out for her."

"Yeah. No one wants to see anything happen to her. We all care about her." He paused, a small smile forming on his lips. "Not in the same way  _you_  care about her but…"

Olivia shook her head at him, a small smile on her lips as well.

"We're just friends."

"Oh okay. So, you entertain those kinds of thoughts about me too? I'm flattered, Liv, but I'm married."

"Shut up," she said, laughing. "You're such an asshole."

He laughed as well. He loved teasing her. It was obvious to him that Olivia had a  _thing_  for Alex, but he wondered if she knew that Alex returned those feelings as well. He had watched the two women get close, but he had always thought Olivia's feelings were one-sided. Alex was straight after all. However, after last night, he knew he was definitely mistaken. There was no way that Alex didn't feel the exact same way about Olivia that Olivia felt about Alex. You could have sensed it from a mile away.

_I wonder how long it'll take for them to realise it…_

When they got back to the station, Olivia transferred Alex's clothes to her car and then followed Elliot inside. She was not looking forward to this day. She just wanted to go home, sit and watch tv with Alex, and get away from everything. She definitely wanted to get the son of a bitch who had threatened Alex, but more than anything else, she just wanted the world to go away and to hold the blonde in her arms.

Luckily for Olivia, the day ended up going by fairly quickly. When they got back to the station, they immediately interviewed Thompson. Apparently, he didn't know anything (or wouldn't give it up), so they were back at square 1 looking for Alderson. That is, until someone called in a tip about a man who looked exactly like "the man from the posters". The woman claimed she had seen Alderson at a shop across town, so Olivia and Elliot were sent out to investigate. When they showed the picture to the salesperson, she easily identified him as the "belligerent man" who had been in there just a few hours prior. She said he had frightened her but no, she had not seen him before, and hoped never to again. Olivia left, feeling slightly excited. He had been seen twice within the past 24 hours. This was very good news. It was the most action they'd had from him since the beginning of the case.

The detectives then scoured the neighbourhood, asking restaurant and other shop owners to keep an eye out for the man. They left each one a photocopy of his mug shot and their contact details. When they returned to the station, they were informed by the Captain that Alex was going ahead with the trial tomorrow. He decided that he wanted the two of them at the trial, just in case. Olivia didn't object. In fact, she was glad to go. She would feel more comfortable being there to make sure Alex didn't get hurt.

By the time the two women left to go home that night, it was nearly 9 p.m. Alex was tired and looking forward to just lying in bed. With how busy she had been today, she hadn't even gotten the chance to change out of her suit. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice that it was the same one from the day before.

"Jesus, Olivia, did you leave anything in my closet?" she asked, looking at the heaping laundry basket in the backseat.

The brunette laughed.

"I think there were a pair of pants or something in the back."

"Jesus," she repeated, turning back around. "Thanks for bringing me all that clothes though. I'll have a lot to choose from."

"I kind of grabbed a little of everything. Hopefully I made some good choices."

"I'm sure you did."

There was a brief silence before Olivia spoke up again.

"So you didn't tell me you lived in a mansion," she said casually.

Alex laughed. "It's not a mansion!"

"I'm pretty sure there was a tour guide."

Alex laughed again. "Stop. There was not."

"I'm embarrassed to have you at my apartment now that I know what yours looks like," she admitted.

Alex stopped smiling and reached over to grab Olivia's wrist.

"Don't be embarrassed. You have absolutely  _nothing_  to be embarrassed about. I loved your place from the minute I walked in. Your apartment feels warm and homey. I've felt nothing but safe since I've been there. Don't compare because there is no comparison to be made."

Olivia offered her a small smile. She was still embarrassed but at least Alex didn't judge her for the shoebox-sized apartment she lived in. She loved her place, but she still felt embarrassed at how much nicer Alex's was.

She pulled into the parking garage under the building and parked the car. She handed Alex her suits and then grabbed the laundry basket. They made their way to the apartment and when they got inside, Olivia unceremoniously dropped the basket on the living room floor. It was starting to get heavy.

"Do you mind if I unpack some of this? I'd like to just look at what I've got to work with."

"No, of course not. Go right ahead."

Alex grabbed the basket and tried to lift it, but it barely made it two inches off the ground before she dropped it again.

"Holy shit, Olivia. What do you have in there? Bricks?"

The brunette laughed.

"Your stuff."

"My God. What did you pack?"

She laughed again and easily lifted the basket. It was heavy, but she wasn't going to admit that. She carried it to the bedroom and placed it on the bed, where Alex would have easier access to it. The blonde followed her, watching the way Olivia's muscles flexed while she carried her laundry basket. She found it very, very sexy that the woman was so strong. She could easily lift her off the ground, pin her to the wall and-

"Here," she started, interrupting Alex's thoughts. "I've got a ton of room in this closet. There's a bunch of hangers so if you need any, go ahead. It's supposed to be a double wide closet for a married couple but there's just me and I really don't have that many clothes, so it's pretty empty."

Alex approached, looking inside. It really  _was_  empty. Olivia's clothes took up less than a fourth of the space in the closet.

"I think you need to go shopping."

"I hate shopping. It's the reason I have no clothes in the first place."

"Shopping is fun if you go with the right person."

"Mhmm," she said, making her way to her dresser. She shoved the things in her top drawer to one side, opened the second drawer, emptied it, and moved the contents to the first drawer. She then emptied the third drawer into the fourth and turned to Alex, who was now hanging her suits.

"I emptied the second and third drawers so you can put some stuff in there too. The things you can't hang up… like your socks."

"Thanks."

"No problem. If you don't mind, I'm gonna shower really quick."

"Go right ahead."

"If you need anything, just help yourself."

Alex nodded.

"Thanks."

Olivia grabbed a pair of pyjamas and quickly jumped in the shower. She was looking forward to just getting some sleep before facing tomorrow. She showered quickly and when she got out, she found Alex still in the bedroom, slowly unpacking. She wasn't making any progress at the moment, however, because she was staring at the pink bunny in her hands.

"I can't believe you packed Mr. Bunny," she said, turning to face Olivia.

"He looked like he was well-loved, so I thought maybe he would bring you some comfort."

The blonde looked down at the stuffed animal and held his ear.

"This is going to sound so stupid but I was thinking about him today. I couldn't text you to bring him because I was way too embarrassed, but I really wanted him back."

Olivia smiled warmly at Alex. She moved closer to the bed, reaching under her pillow to pull out a small piece of cloth.

"This is part of my baby blanket. Even though I don't hold it or anything, it's comforting knowing it's under my pillow. So, I know how you feel. I wish I could have brought him to you last night though."

Alex smiled at her.

"Um, actually, I was okay…because you were holding my hand. I think that's the reason I didn't have that many nightmares last night. It kept me grounded and reminded me I was here, safe."

"I'm really glad. I was worried you'd have horrible nightmares."

"I'm worried I might have some tonight," she admitted softly. "Because of the trial tomorrow and everything."

"Then it's a good thing Mr. Bunny is here," she said, taking a step forward. She reached out and stroked Alex's arm. "If you do, and you get scared or need someone to be awake with you, wake me up. I'll be upset if you're scared and alone. I want you to wake me."

"Okay."

"Do you have a lot on your mind because of the trial?"

"I'm nervous and even though I hate it, I'm actually kind of scared in a way. I'm afraid of seeing Alderson there and breaking down."

"He'd never show his face there. But if he were stupid enough to, Elliot and I will be there. So he won't get anywhere near you."

"You and Elliot are going?"

"Yeah. Captain wants us there to rate your performance as our prosecutor. If you don't rate high enough, he's trading you in."

Alex playfully smacked her arm as the brunette laughed.

"Yeah yeah. Hardy har har," she said, scooping up the last of her clothes and placing them in the drawer. "Jerk," she said, joking.

Olivia, still giggling, took the laundry basket and placed it by the door. Alex took her toiletries and put them in the bathroom, returning to a grinning Olivia.

"I bet you think you're so funny."

"I know I am."

Alex rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Well, detective, it seems the only thing you forgot are pyjamas."

Olivia wiggled her eyebrows.

"Or did I "forget" pyjamas?"

"I'm not even going to touch that one," Alex said, turning away. She grabbed the NYPD pjs Olivia had given her yesterday and slipped into the bathroom to change. She finished up in the bathroom a few minutes later and walked into the bedroom to see Olivia had turned off the lights, turned on a lamp, and was already snuggled in bed.

"Did you lock the doors and windows?"

"Yes. I checked everything before we came back here."

"Good."

Alex approached the bed and slid in, enjoying the cool feeling against her skin.

"Your bed is really comfortable, I meant to tell you that."

"Thanks. I really like it."

"Me too," she said, pulling Mr. Bunny out from under the blankets. She tucked him under the side of her pillow that was away from Olivia. She would probably sleep facing the woman again, so she wanted the rabbit away from where her head would be.

"How are you feeling?"

"Nervous, but I'm glad you're going to be there."

"I would have had to be there regardless, since I'm testifying, but I'm glad that now I'll get to be there the whole time."

"Me too."

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah, kind of. I'm nervous I'll sleep like poorly though," she said. After a pause she added: "And then I'll do a terrible job tomorrow and be replaced."

Olivia grinned and gave a small laugh.

"You're cute when you joke around. I like it. I never knew you were this playful."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," she said. Olivia heard the tone in Alex's voice. She was definitely flirting.

"I hope to learn all about you," she said sincerely. As much as she'd love to flirt all night long with the blonde, she thought it would be wiser not to given what an emotional couple of days she had had.

Alex smiled.

"Me too. We should sleep now."

Olivia nodded. She reached over and squeezed the woman's hand affectionately.

"Goodnight, Alex."

"Goodnight, Liv. Sleep tight."

The women fell asleep, facing one another.

* * *

 

_The next day_

Alex dropped into Olivia's car, a huge grin on her face. The brunette smiled back.

"Congratulations, counselor. You did really well. I wanted to congratulate you in court, but you were too busy being swarmed by everyone."

"Thanks. We already knew he was going to be convicted because he is clearly seen abusing those kids in the videos, but I'm really glad she gave him the maximum. I'm really happy. One more monster off of the streets."

"All thanks to you. Well done, counselor."

"Not all thanks to me. I couldn't have done this without you and Elliot and the guys."

"Well they'll be happy to hear Thompson will be in jail for a very, very long time."

"Definitely. I thought Elliot was coming today though."

"He was supposed to but we've been getting a lot of tips about Alderson since he was spotted at that convenience store, so he stayed behind to catch up. I don't know if Alderson knows we're getting close, but if he does, he doesn't seem concerned. I don't care either way, as long as we catch him."

Alex nodded.

"But we're not going to let thoughts of him get us down. We're still on a high from the conviction! Where are we going for dinner?"

Alex chuckled at Olivia's enthusiasm.

"You don't have to go to the station?"

"No. Captain told us all to take the night off. The guys have been working non-stop and he wants them to take a break."

"That was nice of him."

"I know. So where are we going?"

"I don't know. Surprise me."

"Surprise you?"

"Yes, detective, surprise me."

"What sounds good?"

Alex paused.

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"Grabbing some Mexican food or something and just sitting at home with you. In your pyjamas."

"You don't want to go out?"

"We can if you want."

"But you don't want to?"

"I'm just tired."

"You're right, sorry. I've been sitting on a bench all day, not working my ass off like you have been."

"You work hard every day, Liv. Normally, I'd love to go out. I'm just a little tired today."  _I just want to be alone with you._

"Okay, whatever you say, boss."

Alex smiled at her. Olivia stopped at one of her favourite Mexican places to get their supper. They waited inside while it was being prepared and then drove back to her place. They changed from their work clothes into their pyjamas and sat on the couch, happily eating from their take-out containers. Alex had her back against the armrest, facing Olivia. She had hidden her toes under the other woman's thigh, enjoying the physical contact. She loved to touch Olivia, even if it was just for a brief moment. Olivia didn't seem to mind either. After all, she had lifted her leg so that Alex could hide her toes under it.

"Are you going into work tomorrow?"

Olivia nodded.

"I have a feeling we're going to get him soon."

"Alderson?"

"Yeah. He's angry that we're going after him and he's going to be even angrier when he finds out you went ahead and tried Thompson. He's coming out of his hiding place; there have been a number of sightings in and around the same areas so I'm thinking Elliot and I might take a car tomorrow and just drive around, see if we can spot him. Maybe we'll look around local apartment complexes and talk to the owners. See if any of them are renting to him."

"That's a good idea, as long as you're careful. I think I'm going to go in with you too to the station. I have a few things I want to do at the office."

"You can stay here and just relax if you want."

"No, I think I'll go into the office and try to get a few things done. I don't want to just sit around. I'll feel useless."

"Alright."

Olivia definitely understood that feeling. Besides, Alex would be safer with her at the station. The blonde put her food container on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch.

"That was really good. I love Mexican food."

"Me too," Olivia agreed. She had long ago finished her supper. "Do you want to do something tonight?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. We could go out, go see a movie, take a walk," she started. But when Alex seemed less than enthused about her ideas, she suggested something completely different: Scrabble.

"Scrabble?"

"Yeah, you know, the board game. Or do you rich kids not play board games?"

Alex lifted Olivia's thigh with the back of her foot and gave her a slight kick with the other.

"I am not a rich kid."

Olivia laughed. She knew Alex hated it when she teased her about her family's wealth. But, she loved to do it. Alex was very down-to-earth and it was fun to tease her about being "too good" for things that the "common people" did. Alex, in general, would just roll her eyes.

"So do you want to play?"

"I'm going to kick your ass."

"Probably, but I'll go down fighting."

Alex chuckled and sat up straight.

"Okay, I'll clear this table while you get the game set up."

Alex grabbed the empty containers, the forks, and the pop cans. She brought them into the kitchen, throwing out the trash and putting the dirty forks in the dishwasher. She came out to the game set up, Olivia waiting on her to pick her letters.

"That was quick."

"I'm serious about my Scrabble games. This is not to be taken lightly," she said gravely.

Alex chuckled and sat down, picking her seven letters.

"You're going first because you're definitely going to be better at this than I am," the brunette stated.

"Probably," she said, looking down at her letters. OCIODUA. She re-arranged them a few times, coming up with audio, acid, and coda. She decided to go with "coda" to get rid of an O and to get more points using the C and the D.

"Coda? That's not a word."

"Yes it is. It's the word you use to describe the ending part of a musical piece. It's the last passage that leads to the ending. It's also an acronym: Child of a Deaf Adult."

Olivia stared at her.

"Oh I am so screwed."

Eight plays later, Olivia was trailing by over 100 points. In her defense, she kept picking stupid letters. She had only had a handful of consonants so far, and they weren't helpful ones either. Finally, after trailing by 125 points, Olivia decided to start feeling the letters in the bag to find some good ones. She knew she was cheating, but at this point, she didn't have much of a choice if she still wanted to have some dignity at the end of this game.

Alex looked over and her jaw dropped.

"Are you searching for letters, miss Benson?"

"Noooo," she said, grinning.

"That's cheating, detective. Pick your letters or I'll be forced to take the bag away."

"I only have two more to choose," she said, running her fingers over a square piece. An H? No. That wouldn't work with her letters.

"Olivia!" She said, making a grab for the bag.

The brunette laughed and moved away.

"Ah! An E. I can use that." She put the letter with her other ones. When Alex swiped for the bag again, she held it above her head, laughing. "Come on, Alex, you're gonna win anyway. Let me at least be able to put up a fight!"

"As an officer of the law, I can't believe you're trying to justify cheating."

Alex leaned over and began grabbing at the bag as Olivia laughed harder.

"It's not a federal crime!"

"It should be!" she said, now leaning over the woman to grab onto the bag of letters. Olivia had her back against the armrest, her arms high behind her head, laughing and holding the bag away from Alex. The blonde was leaning over her, making a grab for it, but then slipped slightly and ended up catching herself with one hand against the armrest, her face hovering a foot above Olivia's. They both paused when they realised how close they were, staring at one another. The atmosphere had changed; it was electric. Olivia's body was tingling with the feel of Alex against her, her breasts just inches away from her mouth. Alex sat back slightly, so that her face would be more or less even with Olivia's. She didn't push forward, but she didn't pull away either.

Olivia was staring directly at Alex, wanting desperately to just lean up and kiss her. She knew she'd be able to from this angle. Her lips were just a few inches away now. Before she could even think about it, Olivia leaned up and captured Alex's lips. The blonde let out a slight gasp of surprise before closing her eyes, her entire body melting at the feel of Olivia's mouth against her own.

 _Finally,_ Alexthought happily. She returned the kiss eagerly, her hands resting on Olivia's shoulders.

Way before she was ready to stop, Olivia pulled away, trying to move from the couch.

"Oh God, Alex, I'm sorry. I-"

The blonde cut her off, pinning her down by straddling her hips and then capturing her lips once again. She was now sitting on Olivia's lap, the woman's legs between her own. She knew Olivia would pull away and worry that she didn't want this. But Alex wanted it. God did she ever. And she was going to show her how much...

Alex leaned forward and pressed her breasts against the other woman, causing Olivia to drop the bag of Scrabble letters and moan against her mouth.

"Like that, do you?" Alex murmured against her lips.

Olivia, in response, grabbed the blonde and pulled her closer, crushing their lips together and kissing her harder. Alex let a soft moan escape, slipping her arms around Olivia's neck. She opened her mouth when the detective's tongue ran against her lips, her stomach dropping when Olivia's tongue found her own. She was definitely going to need to change her underwear after this. She had been waiting so long, so damn long for Olivia to touch her like this, hold her this way. She had wanted it so bad and from the feel of it, Olivia had wanted her just as much. The idea that Olivia wanted her as well fueled her desire for more, so she leaned forward and kissed her more eagerly, more hungrily. She buried her fingers in the brunette's hair, loving the way it felt. She could feel Olivia's breasts pressing into her own, causing her to moan with desire.

After countless minutes, Alex finally had to pull away. She needed to take a minute to breathe…and to calm the firestorm in her belly. Her libido was through the roof and she would like nothing more than to rip off Olivia's clothes and finally see the perfect body she'd been admiring for the last several months.

Instead, she rested her forehead against Olivia's before moving to rest her cheek on the woman's shoulder. They were both panting, too out of breath to speak. Olivia's hands were running over her back, causing shivers to run up her spine.

"Wow," Olivia finally said.

"Yeah," Alex said, lifting her head. "That was even hotter than my fantasies."

Olivia grinned.

"Your fantasies?"

"Yeah. The ones involving you, me, and some lucky piece of furniture."

The brunette groaned and moved forward to kiss her lips again. This time, she kissed her slowly, lovingly. As much as she was on fire, as much as she wanted to just sex the hell out of her, she also wanted Alex to know that what she felt for her was much, much more than that. She raised her hand and cupped the side of the woman's face, her palm resting against her cheek. Her other hand was resting against her hip, gently holding it. She kissed her as softly and as slowly as she could, trying to communicate what she couldn't with words. By the time she pulled away, Alex's brain was completely void of thoughts.

"You're so beautiful," Olivia whispered, sending shivers up Alex's spine. Alex could do nothing but look at her, tracing her fingers down her nose, over her lips, along her jaw, and into her hair. She leaned forward and kissed her again, briefly.

"I've been wanting to do this for a very, very long time," Alex said, pulling away from her lips.

"Me too. It's been really hard to keep my hands to myself."

"You never had to."

"Had I known, I wouldn't have."

"You didn't suspect I liked you?"

Olivia ran her fingers through Alex's hair, loving the fact that she could now do so freely.

"There were times when I was confused and you made me second guess myself because it seemed like you were. And sometimes it seemed like you were hitting on me, but I thought you were just teasing you know? Joking around like straight women do. That's what I attributed your actions to before I knew you were gay. After you told me you were gay, I started to wonder but I thought it was too good to be true."

"I'm sorry about confusing you. I've been interested for a while actually... It just took me a long time to know if I could trust you."

"Do you?"

Alex looked down for a second, playing with the corner of Olivia's collar while she worked up the courage to say the next few words. When she finally did, she looked up in Olivia's eyes.

"I trust you with my life," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

The words played over in Olivia's mind, causing her heart to swell. She knew what that meant coming from someone who hardly trusted anyone. She tightened her grip on Alex's waist, pulling her into a hug, and kissed her temple. They sat like that for a long time, until Alex started to think about the fact that Olivia's legs were probably numb from the weight of her on her lap.

"I should get up."

"M-mm," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I waited too long to hold you like this."

"Your legs are dead."

Olivia said nothing. She knew it was true, they were starting to hurt, but she didn't want to stop holding her.

"Let's put this game away and then we can watch a movie and cuddle on the couch."

Olivia grumbled out an "okay".

"It's too bad we didn't get to finish this game though. Now we'll never know who would have won."

Alex was halfway off her lap and stopped, staring at her. She then started to laugh, hard, and stood.

"You can't be serious. I creamed you."

Olivia winced as she moved her legs, pins and needles shooting up and down her legs.

"Now we can't be sure of that, Alex. You never gave me the chance to finish. I was sitting on a 7-letter, 80 point word. I'm sure of it."

"Was that before or after you started cheating?" Alex asked, leaning down and picking up the letters that were scattered on the floor.

Olivia laughed instead of answering the question. Alex got up and put the bag of letters on the coffee table.

"Yeah that's what I thought, detective," she said, nudging her with her side. Olivia reached out and tugged at her hips, bringing Alex to stand between her legs. She wrapped her arms around her hips and pressed her ear against her stomach. Alex held her close, her fingers losing themselves in the woman's short hair. She loved her hair. It was so soft and she loved it when Olivia spiked it. It turned her on to see her with messy styled hair. It was so sexy.

She held her close for a second before pulling away, cupping the woman's jaw and tilting her head up so she could look into Olivia's eyes. She leaned down and kissed her lips, a soft moan escaping when she felt Olivia's hands travel from her hips down to her thighs, and then up again. When Alex gently pulled away, Olivia's eyes fluttered open.

"I could get used to that."

"Me too," Alex answered. Olivia shivered at the sound of her voice. It sounded so sexy.

"I'll grab the blanket and a pillow and you can set up the movie."

"Yes, boss," Olivia responded.

Alex rolled her eyes at her. She went to the bathroom, then to the bedroom, where she grabbed a pillow and a blanket. She made her way back and found Olivia already lying on the couch, a movie in the DVD player.

"What are we watching?" she asked, turning off the light and checking the door.

"One of my favourites."

Alex walked over and slid under the blanket. She snuggled back, close to Olivia. The woman slid her arm around her waist, pulling her tight against her.

"Which one is it?"

"You'll see."

Alex tried to concentrate, but Olivia started running her fingers over side, up her arm, and into her hair. She began stroking it, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I've always really loved your hair. I used to imagine kissing you and burying my hands in it."

Alex flipped on her back, all interest in the movie now gone.

"Oh yeah? Well, you don't really have to imagine it anymore, do you?"

Olivia smiled and snuck her fingers into her blonde locks, then leaned down and kissed her. Alex immediately opened her mouth and sought out Olivia's tongue. She slid her hand up and down Olivia's back, sneaking her hand along the woman's lower back. She trailed her fingers along the exposed skin before laying her palms flat against it. She loved the way the brunette reacted, shifting up and over to cover Alex's body with her own. Alex moved her legs so that one was between Olivia's. She pushed up against her, causing Olivia to gasp.

"Oh God, Alex. You can't start that."

Alex pulled her back down to kiss her, ignoring her warning. She started roaming her hands up the woman's back, down her sides, then down to her ass where she grabbed hard and pressed her into her thigh.

"Fuck, Alex," Olivia panted against Alex's lips.

Alex kissed her hard again.

"You're so hot, Liv."

Olivia could feel that her underwear were completely soaked. Her nipples were hard, straining against her shirt, and she could feel her arousal deep in her belly. It had been a really, really long time since she'd had sex and she had wanted Alex for so long. She was not going to be able to fight the desire to take Alex to the bedroom if they didn't stop soon.

"We need to slow down," she panted.

"I don't want to," Alex responded.

Olivia opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a ringing noise.

"Is that your phone?" Alex stopped, confused.

"Fuck!" It was definitely her phone. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

She pushed herself off of Alex and yanked at the pocket of her leather jacket.

"Hello? What? Seriously?! Okay. Yes. Yes. I'm on my way."

She turned to Alex.

"They found him. They found Alderson," Olivia said, putting on her coat. "We're going to pick him up at an apartment. Do you want to stay here or do you want me to drop you off at the station?"

"I'll go with you to the station. Is that where you're meeting Elliot?"

"No, but I can drop you off," she said, leading the way to the car.

Olivia drove faster than usual, while doing her best to obey the limit. Alex stayed quiet, silently fixing her hair and trying not to let herself become overwhelmed with worry.

"Be careful, Olivia. With Alderson."

"I will. Don't worry."

"We haven't had sex, yet. I want to. So come back in one piece," she said, a small hint of humour in her voice.

Olivia cleared her throat, trying to break the fantasies that suddenly popped in her mind.

"I'll make sure to."

Alex hopped out of the car once they got to the station, watching as the detective sped off. She knew she couldn't be present at the interrogation because of her personal involvement in the case, but she still wanted to be at the station to hear about it afterwards. Besides, she felt safer here. Even though they had found him, that didn't mean he wouldn't escape.

Alex paced her office, watching as the time went by. Nearly two hours later, she heard the commotion at the front door. She waited for it to go by, trying to listen to see if she could hear anything. She heard the other prosecutor stating that he wanted Alderson in interrogation room 1. She heard an unfamiliar voice, probably Alderson's lawyer by the sounds of what he was saying.

The voices faded, and Alex was reduced to pacing her floor again. Eventually, she lay down on the couch and waited for Olivia. There was only so much pacing she could do before she wore a hole in her floor.

"Alex. Alex, wake up," Olivia gently shook the woman awake. Alex shot up from the couch.

"Oh God. I didn't mean to fall asleep. What happened?"

"Come on. Let's head back to my place and I'll explain while I drive."

The woman nodded and got up, yawning. She followed Olivia to the car and got in, waiting for her to start driving before asking questions.

"So how did it go?"

"It went better than we could have hoped. The landlord of the apartment building ended up seeing the flyers and recognised him. He called the station and then Elliot immediately called me. We surrounded the place and the landlord unlocked the door. He caught wind of what was going on and made a move for the bedroom, where we later discovered he had a gun, but we tackled him and cuffed him before he got the chance."

"How long had he been in town?" Alex cut in.

"He just got back. He was hiding out at an apartment his mother owned in Jersey but we found out about that place. He realised we were onto him so he got spooked and came back here to threaten you. He was getting scared and desperate. He tried to go back to your place after the initial attack, but he spotted the undercovers. So he's basically been hiding out at this place, planning his next move.

He's now sitting in a jail cell until the hearing on Monday. Kitch is refusing to settle for anything less than the maximum so his lawyer is bringing it to trial."

"Good. Nail that bastard for everything he's done to those kids."

"Not to mention to you too."

"It doesn't compare one bit to what those poor babies went through," she said, shaking her head.

"He'll never hurt anyone again now."

"I know. Are you going into the station this weekend?"

"Yeah. Captain tried to say no but it was four against one, so we're going in."

Alex nodded. Olivia pulled into her parking space and the women got out.

"Do you want to come tomorrow or are you going to stay here?"

Alex paused for a second, entering the elevator behind Olivia.

"I think I might stay here, if that's okay."

"Of course. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

Alex nodded.

"Yes. Now that I know for sure that he's arrested and in jail, I feel a lot better."

"Good."

They stepped out of the elevator and walked over to Olivia's apartment. The detective opened the door, followed Alex in, and then locked the door behind them. She removed the keys for her apartment from her keyring and handed them to Alex.

"Here, in case you want to go out tomorrow."

"Giving me a key to your apartment, detective? We're moving a little quick, aren't we?"

Instead of answering her teasing question, Olivia took a step into her personal space and kissed her. Alex wrapped her arms around the other woman, gripping the keys in her right hand. When Olivia finally pulled away, Alex brought her hands down to grip the sides of her open jacket.

"I always thought you looked so sexy in this coat. It looks great on you."

Olivia leaned forward and kissed her again.

"Thanks," she responded after pulling away. "I'll remember that. Are you ready to lie down or are you too wired from being out?"

"I could definitely lie down with you."

Olivia smiled and wrapped her in a hug.

"Good," she said, kissing her temple. She slid her hand down Alex's arm until she found her hand. She grabbed it, then led the way into the bedroom. Alex's stomach tightened when she felt Olivia's hand around her own. It was so sweet and so intimate, but also completely innocent. She knew that all they would be doing is cuddling and that made her whole body melt.

After grabbing "her" pyjamas from the bedroom and placing the key on the nightstand, Alex went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. She then went back into the bedroom and got into bed, waiting for Olivia to finish her bedtime routine in the bathroom. The woman in question returned several minutes later, turned off the light, and slid into bed. Alex snuggled over, resting happily against Olivia's side. The brunette wrapped her arms around the other woman and kissed her.

"I'm so glad we got him."

"Me too."

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes. I always felt safe with you, but I can now feel safe without you too."

Olivia squeezed her affectionately.

"I'm so happy to hear that."

They lay in bed cuddling and sharing the occasional kiss, until Olivia could no longer hide her yawns.

"Okay, let's get some sleep."

"I'm not sleepy," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Bullshit. Get some rest, babe. I'm not going anywhere."

Olivia smiled, loving the pet name.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Alex said, tilting her head up and kissing her again.

"Sleep tight, Liv. Thanks for getting the bad guy."

Olivia smiled.

"Always. Goodnight babe."

"Goodnight."

The next morning, Alex woke up in time to see Olivia out, wishing her a good day. She had planned to go back to bed, but she was too excited about the day she had planned. Last night, while holding Olivia, she had decided today that she would have a great surprise for her when she got home: home-cooked meals. Her plans were to go to the grocery store up a few blocks away and restock Olivia's fridge. Then, she would make her a bunch of home-cooked meals that she would freeze. She had the entire day ahead of her and she was excited.

She searched the cupboards, the fridge, and the freezer to look for what the brunette already had. There were a few cans of soup, some rice, some bread in the freezer, a few condiments in the fridge, but there was basically nothing in her kitchen. Alex had no idea how she even fed herself.

 _By ordering out_ , she thought.

She made a list of things she would need, including a list of meals she wanted to make. She took note of the woman's baking dishes and realised she would need to buy some pie pans so that she could freeze the meals after they were made.

She headed to the grocery store right after showering, feeling incredibly light and happy. She was excited to do this for Olivia. She knew the woman would be thrilled.

Alex did her shopping, and several hundred dollars later, loaded all of the bags into a taxi. When they got to Olivia's building, Alex moved slowly to her apartment. She loaded up as many bags as she could and brought them to the elevator, and continued doing so until they were all at the door. She called the elevator, and then loaded them all inside, riding up to Olivia's floor, moved all the groceries into the hallway, and then took several trips back and forth from the door of the elevator to the door of Olivia's apartment.

By the time she had unpacked and put everything away, the entire trip to the grocery had taken two hours. Alex sighed contently and began cooking. Olivia called around two to let her know that she would be home at six, so Alex cooked until five.

When she finally stopped, she was pleased with everything she had made. She ended up with four meals of chicken and mashed potatoes, six meals of ham and pierogies, eight servings of taco soup, seven servings of potato soup, and four servings of chicken casserole.

The meals had all been transferred into the various tin pie plates and glass containers she had chosen and wrote clear instructions on how to defrost and reheat the meals. She stacked everything neatly in the freezer and smiled. The freezer was now full of home-made meals. Olivia would be very happy.

She did the dishes, then started on supper. She cut up onions, mushrooms, and red peppers and threw them in a frying pan. Then, she grabbed a few potatoes and peeled them, cut them up, and then tossed them in a pot of boiling water. She took the cast-iron skillet she found in the back of Olivia's cupboard and set it on the stove, getting it ready for the steaks.

When the door opened nearly thirty minutes later, Alex had just finished setting the table. Everything was ready on the stove, waiting to be eaten. She was quite proud of this meal and happy that it had all turned out well.

"Oh my God, it smells amazing in here. I smelled this down the hall and my mouth was watering just thinking about it. I was kind of hoping it was from here."

Olivia walked in the kitchen and immediately wrapped her arms around Alex's waist, holding her close.

"I missed you," she murmured against her neck.

"I missed you too," Alex responded, kissing her cheek.

Olivia held her for a second longer before pulling away. She looked over on the counter and noticed there were bananas next to her toaster.

"Did you run down to the corner store for bananas?"

"No, actually. I made a trip to the grocery store."

"Did you?"

"Yes. I bought you a few things."

"Like what?"

"Take a look," Alex said, smiling at the brunette.

"Okay."

Olivia opened her cupboards and raised her eyebrows.

"I've never had this much food in here before. You didn't have to do this. How did you even get back here with all this stuff?"

"I took a taxi and just made my way slowly up to your apartment. I got you a few things for the fridge too."

Olivia shook her head, completely taken aback. She had gone through so much trouble. The detective opened the fridge next and saw more food than she had ever seen in her fridge. She closed the door and opened the freezer, pulling out one of the silver tins and seeing Alex's delicate writing on top: pierogies and ham. There were even step by step instructions on how to reheat the meal.

"Did you seriously make this?"

Alex smiled and nodded at her. Olivia looked back at the freezer. It was packed with other tins and containers of food. The brunette put the pierogies and ham back and closed the door.

"I don't even know what to say."

"You told me you don't eat home cooked meals and I wanted to do something for you, since you've been taking care of me. I wanted to take care of you too."

Olivia pulled her in her arms and held her tight. She didn't know what to think.

"You're so sweet and so thoughtful. Thank you so much for going through all that trouble. I can't believe you did all that."

"It was no trouble. I really enjoyed it."

"You didn't have to make supper either."

"I wanted to."

"Well, I really really appreciate it. You're so sweet."

Olivia kissed her softly, rubbing her lower back. She pulled away and looked at the stove.

"It smells fantastic. What did you make?"

"I made garlic mashed potatoes, steak, and fried onions, mushrooms, and red peppers."

"That sounds amazing. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"God, yes."

"Why don't you wash up and I'll get our plates ready?"

"Okay," Olivia agreed. She made a move to leave but then stopped, and pulled Alex to her. "Thanks, baby." She kissed her softly on the lips, smiled, and then headed to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Alex took a second to recover before grabbing Olivia's plate and putting some potatoes, vegetables, and her piece of steak on it. She did the same with her own plate and grabbed two cokes from the fridge.

"My God this looks amazing."

"I hope you like it."

"I know I will."

The women sat down and as soon as she started eating, Olivia made noises indicating just how much she liked the food.

"Good God this is incredible."

Alex smiled.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Oh man, I wish I cooked this well. This is fantastic, Alex. Thanks for making it. You're amazing."

Olivia continued to compliment the blonde and her meal, not only because she enjoyed lavishing her with attention, but also because she genuinely appreciated the fact that Alex had cooked for her. Well, that, and the food was amazing.

She tried to finish her plate, but she couldn't do it. She was so full. Alex had already stopped and was making light conversation with her, so she didn't feel as bad that she hadn't eaten everything.

"Are you full?"

"I'm going to explode."

Alex laughed.

"It was really good. Thanks for making me supper, Alex."

The brunette got up and joined her at the sink.

"I'll do the dishes," she said, kissing her cheek. The blonde shifted and kissed her on the lips.

"Okay."

While Olivia washed the pots, Alex covered their plates with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

"Did you want to go home tonight?"

Alex paused at the question. She had been thinking about it today, whether or not she would want to go back. The truth was, even though Alderson was in jail, she still didn't think she could brave the apartment yet. Not by herself anyway. It was still too fresh and she didn't want to deal with that yet.

"I'm more than happy to have you here, but I don't want to hold you hostage if you're ready to go home now."

"You don't mind if I stay?"

Olivia had finished with the dishes so she wiped her hands and pulled Alex closer.

"I like having you here. If you want to still want to stay, then you'll stay. There's no rush to leave. You're welcome here as long as you want to be here."

Alex wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck and hugged her.

"Thanks," she mumbled against her skin.

Olivia held her close, rubbing her back.

"You always smell nice."

"Have you been smelling me lately?"

"Yes," Olivia said, actively sniffing against her skin. She held on tighter when Alex started laughing and trying to pull away.

"Stop! You're so strange," she said, giggling.

Olivia started laughing too and kissed her shoulder.

"I like this," she said, pulling back enough to look at Alex.

"Me too. It's funny to think not that long ago we never had anything to say to each other."

"I know. It's still really strange to think about the fact that you're attracted to women."

"Why?"

"Because for so long you were "straight." I never pictured you otherwise. And then to picture you with me, now…" Olivia shook her head. "It's still so strange in my mind."

"You pictured me with people?"

"I used to, yeah."

"Who did you see me with?"

Olivia shrugged. "A tall, good looking guy with an infinite amount of patience to put up with your stubborn side. You can be damn stubborn sometimes."

"I'm not that stubborn."

"Oh you are too."

The woman chuckled.

"I know."

"Come on, let's go lay on the couch."

"Okay."

Olivia grabbed Alex's hand and led the way into the living room.

"I hope you don't get a phone call this time."

Olivia stopped walking as the memories from that night came back to her. She was instantly pulled back to the feeling of Alex's breasts against her, the way the woman took control, grinding her thigh between Olivia's legs. She cleared her throat and resumed walking, not seeing Alex's amused face. Alex knew that she'd reminded the woman of their activities that night, as she had hoped to. Teasing was one of Alex's favourite things to do in a relationship and she was definitely going to enjoy getting Olivia all riled up.

Olivia made her way to the bedroom, leaving Alex to choose their movie of the night. She settled on  _Twister_ , one she'd never seen before. When she told Olivia this information, the woman's jaw dropped.

"What? How have you gone this far through life without ever having seen this movie? That is criminal," she said, tossing her the pillow she had brought.

"Well then you'd better put a stop to that, hadn't you? Seeing as you're an officer of the law."

Olivia chuckled and put the DVD in.

"You're damn right. I won't be having any criminal goings on in my home," she said, dropping on the couch next to Alex, who immediately leaned over and cuddled into her side. Olivia reached her arm around the blonde, her hand resting lightly on her hip.

"Maybe you'll have to arrest me later."

Olivia swallowed hard, her breathing increasing lightly, as she heard the words play over in her head. It wasn't so much what she said, it was  _how_  she said it.

"Detective, are you feeling okay? Your heart rate jumped all of a sudden," she said, trying to sound innocent.

"Oh don't you play dumb with me. It has been faaar too long since I've…. _arrested_  anyone and it's not going to take much to make me want to."

Alex laughed against her chest.

"So I probably shouldn't do anything that might get me in trouble, right?" she said, dropping her hand to the woman's left leg and slowly slipping between her thighs.

Olivia immediately reached down and pulled her hand away.

"Exactly."

Alex smiled and held Olivia's hand instead. They watched the movie more or less in silence, simply enjoying cuddling the other woman. At one point, the shifted so that they were spooning, this time Alex deciding she wanted to hold Olivia. She enjoyed holding her like this, feeling her back against her chest. Olivia was strong, and Alex loved watching her show her strength. She had seen her take down men twice her size more times than she could count, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't find it hot every single time. Even though they had been nothing more than colleagues, she was still allowed to look. And look she did…

"I love this part," Olivia said, squeezing Alex's hand.

Alex looked up, watching as a string of vehicles tore up a dirt road while Van Halen played in the background. Alex gave a soft laugh when Olivia started bouncing her head to the song, singing along.

"I loved Van Halen as a teenager. I used to put on my headphones and just blare their songs."

"That doesn't surprise me," Alex said, kissing behind her ear.

Olivia stopped moving and cleared her throat. Alex had unknowingly just hit one of her "sensitive spots".

"Do you still like them?" the blonde asked, her fingertips trailing over Olivia's abdomen.

"Yeah, but I'm not obsessed like I was when I was younger."

They turned back to the movie, Alex cuddling in closer. She was loving this, and she told herself she would need to be the big spoon more often.

The women lay quietly, enjoying the cuddling as the movie played to the end. Once it finished, Alex commented that her favourite thing about this movie was the fact that it was so realistic.

"It's so believable. I had no problem accepting everything that happened. Especially the part where they were sucked up into the Twister, lightning and all, and didn't die. That was very realistic."

The sarcasm in the woman's voice made Olivia laugh and smack her hip.

"You're such a loser. Did you even like it?"

Alex chuckled and then smiled at her.

"No, I did. I'm just teasing you. It was good," she said, tugging on Olivia's top so that she'd turn around. When she did and their eyes locked, Alex smiled at her.

"Hi," she said softly.

She ran her fingers through her hair, enjoying the intimacy of having Olivia so close. She propped herself up on her right arm, and when she did, Olivia took the opportunity to snake her left arm around Alex's lower back. She tugged her closer, Alex moving her leg between Olivia's. She then leaned down and kissed her, cupping her jaw to hold her face close. The kiss started out slow and sweet, but it quickly became demanding when Alex moved her hand down and over Olivia's breast, gently grabbing it. The woman moaned against her mouth, encouraging Alex to more actively touch it.

The blonde squeezed gently, then ran her palm over it, enjoying the way Olivia moved beneath her. She moved her hand to the other side, finding a hard nipple pressed against the fabric of Olivia's shirt. She pinched it, then grabbed her breast, squeezing and gently massaging it.

Olivia opened her mouth and Alex slipped her tongue inside. She found Olivia's tongue and began stroking it with her own, melting her body into Olivia's as she kissed her hard. Olivia was lost in a flurry of sensations, and her stomach dropped when she felt Alex's hand slide under her shirt. She felt her bra being pushed up and she moaned desperately when she felt the warm skin of Alex's hand stroking against her nipple. It had been far too long since she'd been touched like this, and she had been waiting far too long for Alex to be the one to break her dry spell.

Olivia broke the kiss and pushed her head back into the pillow, her breath catching in her throat as she felt Alex's fingers tugging on her nipple and her tongue and lips pressing against her neck. Alex's hand shifted to the other breast, massaging it and lightly pinching her nipple. Olivia was now actively moving her hips, breathing heavily.

Alex licked from her side of her throat up to her ear. She raked her teeth over the woman's earlobe, and when she sucked on it, she tugged on her nipple at the same time.

"Alex, you're killing me."

The blonde let go of her earlobe and moved to her ear.

"You're so fucking hot," she whispered, causing a shiver to pass through Olivia's entire body. The brunette turned her head and kissed Alex hard on the lips, grabbing her hips and yanking her to straddle her lap. She kissed her hard, holding her in place so that she wouldn't move.

Alex started moaning and rotated her hips, pressing against Olivia. The brunette started pushing up on her shirt, and Alex helped her along. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and ripped it off, grinning when Olivia's breath caught in her throat. She leaned back down and kissed her, moaning when Olivia's hands reached up and yanked on her bra to expose her breasts. The woman massaged them, tugged on her nipples, and squeezed them when they got hard.

Olivia pulled away, taking the opportunity to look up at Alex. She found and held the blonde's gaze, smiling softly at her. She loved seeing the woman panting, hair dishevelled. She looked so sexy.

"You are so beautiful."

Alex felt her heart melt at the sincerity in Olivia's voice. She leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, reaching behind her back and unhooking her bra. She felt the mood change, and she no longer felt the animalistic desire she had just a few minutes ago. Now, she wanted this moment to be slow, intimate.

She pulled away from the kiss, looking right at Olivia as she brought down the straps. The brunette's breathing visibly increased, and when Alex removed the bra completely, her breath hitched in her throat. Olivia swallowed hard, staring at Alex's chest.

The blonde reached down and grabbed Olivia's hands, bringing them to her breasts.

"Touch me," she whispered.

Olivia's stomach dropped hard. Her panties had been wet, but now, they were soaked. The thought that Alex wanted her to touch her made her so much hornier.

She sat up and caught Alex as the woman started to fall backwards. She kissed her hard on the lips, her hands roaming up and down the blonde's back. Alex shifted in her lap, and when she sat back, Olivia brought her hands to cup her breasts. Her stomach clenched when she felt the hard nipples against her palm. She had to taste them. She broke their kiss and brought her mouth down, leaving a trail of kisses on the way. When she got to her breasts, Olivia licked her lips and wrapped her mouth around the hard tip, sucking gently.

"God damn," Alex grunted, her hips bucking at the full sensation of Olivia's mouth sucking on her nipple. She panted hard, enjoying the way the woman's tongue and teeth worked her. She felt it right down to her clit, and it felt incredible. Olivia let go of her left breast and moved to her right, her hand coming to replace where her mouth had just left. Alex brought her hands up and buried her fingers in the woman's hair, lightly tugging.

"Fuck, Liv. You're so good with your mouth."

The woman gave one final tug with her teeth before going back up and finding Alex's lips. Their tongues met and they kissed hard, until Olivia finally pulled away and brought her mouth to her ear.

"Imagine what it'll be like when it moves to other places."

Alex groaned loudly and dropped her forehead against Olivia's shoulder.

"Fuck," she whispered.

Olivia held her quietly for several minutes before speaking again.

"You are stunning, Alex. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever met."

Alex blushed, but she loved hearing her words. It made her feel good knowing that Olivia found her attractive. She pulled away and looked into Olivia's eyes.

"You make me want and need in ways I didn't even know I could."

The brunette pulled her in a tight hug. She buried her face in the side of her hair, sighing contently. She loved the way Alex felt in her arms. As much as she would love to undress her and make love to her right here, she didn't want to go that fast. She wanted to take it slow, so she reluctantly put a stop to any further "activities".

She pulled away and kissed Alex gently. She cupped her cheek after she pulled away and looked into her eyes, smiling.

"Do you want to go lay down?"

Alex smiled back. She definitely did.

"Yes."

Alex pulled away and held her hand out for Olivia to grab. When she did, Alex gently helped her to her feet. She led the way to the bedroom, where the women got into their pyjamas.

"I could get used to you not having any clothes on," Olivia stated.

"I have no doubt you could. Unfortunately, I would rather wear clothing."

Alex slipped on her pyjama bottoms and top, smiling when she saw the pouting brunette. She approached and slipped her arms around her neck. She kissed her on the cheek and pulled back to look her in the eye.

"What if I told you you were allowed to go under my top and touch me whenever you wanted? Deal?"

She could cuddle Alex tonight and touch her breasts all she wanted? Olivia's eyes widened slightly and nodded eagerly.

"That would be acceptable."

Alex laughed, kissing her on the lips.

"You make me laugh."

Olivia smiled at her.

"I'm glad. Do you mind if I just run in the kitchen and get a glass of water? You kind of made my throat dry."

"I hope that's the only part of you that's dry, detective," she said teasingly.

"You never mind about any of that. I'll join you in a second."

"Okay."

Alex kissed her again before slipping away and sliding into bed. Olivia returned a few minutes later, a big grin on her face. She placed her glass of ice water on the night table before getting into bed and scooting over to Alex.

"I like having such a beautiful woman in my bed. People will wonder how I landed you though. I don't have a huge bank account or a trust fund, just so you know."

Alex chuckled.

"I'm not here for that. And they won't wonder. If anything, I should be sinking my claws in you or else I'll lose you to someone else. Women dig hot cops you know."

Olivia pulled her close, so that Alex was laying against her.

"I don't want anyone but you. I've been waiting too long for this."

Alex looked up and kissed her, cupping the side of her cheek to hold her in place.

"I love kissing you."

"The feeling is mutual."

Alex kissed her one last time before bringing her head down and laying it on the other woman's shoulder. She reached her arm around Olivia's waist and held her close.

"I love sleeping this way."

"Me too, sweetheart," Olivia said, kissing her temple. Alex yawned against her and closed her eyes.

"I didn't realise how tired I was. Are you tired?"

"Yeah, I am. I had a long day."

"Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yes, but probably not the whole day."

"Okay," Alex responded, snuggling in closer.

Olivia kissed her temple again and said goodnight.

"Goodnight, honey."

After a couple of seconds of silence, Olivia added.

"Tonight was a really good night."

Alex snorted against her chest, then laughed hard.

"Yes it was, love, yes it was."

Olivia chuckled too and then kissed her head again before they slowly drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

 

_Ten days later_

"Are you nervous?"

"Kind of," she said, pausing. "But I'm scared more than anything," she confessed.

Olivia pulled her into a hug and held her close. Today, Alex wasn't an attorney. Today, she was a woman who had been viciously attacked and was going to have to relive what had happened. It was the third and final day of Dean Alderson's trial and Alex was getting ready to take the stand.

"Are you sure I can't come in with you?"

Alex shook her head and pulled away, but grabbed Olivia's hand to maintain some contact with her.

"No. Because I know it's going to upset you to see me like that and I'm going to feel like I need to protect you. I need to not worry about what you're feeling and how you're doing while the defense is questioning me. It'll be easier on me knowing I can just be honest and know that you're not hearing all the nasty things that are going to be said. Please. It'll be easier on me if you're not there."

"Okay. If that's really how you feel."

"It is. It's comforting knowing you're just outside the courtroom waiting to take me home."

A man poked his head out and looked at Alex.

"They're ready for you."

She nodded and looked at Olivia. The brunette placed two steady hands on Alex's shoulders, trying to pour all of her strength into the other woman.

"You're one of the strongest, bravest women I know. Remember that." She gave Alex a strong hug before watching the woman walk into the courtroom.

Nearly three hours later, Alex was led out by one of the security guards. Olivia immediately jogged over and gently wrapped her arms around the blonde. She looked so drained. Her eyes were red, but they weren't swollen anymore, indicating that the tears had fallen some time ago. Olivia thanked the guard and led the way to the car, one arm wrapped around the blonde's waist. She helped her in and they drove home in silence. Alex stared out the window, watching the scenery and saying nothing.

Olivia parked her car and led the way up to her apartment, unsure of what to do once they finally got inside. She closed the door behind them and turned, only to find Alex making her way to the bedroom. She paused, unsure of what to do.

"Liv?"

The minute she heard her name, she beelined for the bedroom. Her heart broke. Alex's voice sounded so weak, broken. She walked in to find the woman had stripped down, thrown on Olivia's pyjamas, and then curled into a ball on her bed. Olivia immediately moved into bed with her, wrapping a protective arm around her. She pulled Alex close, and when the woman starting sobbing, Olivia held her tighter. Tears fell from her eyes as well, her soul breaking that the woman she loved was hurting so bad that she couldn't even talk about it. She felt like sobbing as well because she felt so helpless.

 _My baby_ , she thought.  _I'm so sorry._

Alex turned over so that she was facing Olivia. She buried her face in Olivia's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her back. She cried into her shoulder, but was intensely comforted by the woman's strong arms around her back. Olivia held her tight, even as she calmed started to calm down. She didn't let go, not until Alex finally pulled away.

"I'm sorry," the blonde whispered.

"Never apologise. Ever," Olivia whispered back, kissing her hand. "I'm sorry you're hurting, baby."

Alex closed her eyes and sniffed, opening her palm and placing it flat against Olivia's cheek. She opened her eyes and looked into Olivia's, holding her gaze.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Olivia teared up again, a small smile forming on her face.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

Alex leaned forward and kissed her gently. She pulled away to look into Olivia's eyes again.

"I love you," she said softly. "Thank you for being so supportive of me through all of this."

This time, Olivia smiled widely. As soon as the woman said those words, her heart skipped a beat. Olivia pulled her into a tight hug, burying her face in the woman's hair. She held her close, turning her head so that she was right in Alex's ear.

"I love you too, Alex. So much. I love you so much."

The blonde smiled against her. It felt so good to hear those words.

"I've been wanting to tell you for a while," Alex admitted, pulling back enough to look at the other woman. "But it just never felt right. I know it might seem odd now, but, you just did everything so perfect. You know how to be there for me without my needing to say a word. You just know. Despite how bad today was, how hard it was, you were everything I needed. I couldn't have done this without you."

Olivia kissed her forehead.

"I will always do my best to be there for you when you need me. Thank you for letting me in and not hiding from me. I'm glad I was able to make you feel supported because that's all I ever want to do."

Alex cupped her cheek and thanked her softly. She gave her another gentle kiss before cuddling into her side, resting her head on her shoulder. Olivia wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her close. They stayed like that, cuddling quietly, until Olivia finally broke the silence.

"Did you want to talk about what happened today? You had me worried for a while."

"I'm sorry. I held it all in as best I could while I was on the stand, but once we got here, I just couldn't anymore. I needed to get it out and it helped having you here to comfort me. I felt safe."

Olivia kissed her temple.

"You're always going to be safe here."

"I know."

"Did it go alright at the trial?"

Alex nodded.

"I was fine until the defense started in on me. He stayed near Alderson on purpose, so that I'd have to see him when I was being questioned. The lawyer hoped I'd be reminded of that night, which I was. I did my best to look away but…he was still there, you know? Just having him there was bad enough. But it could have been worse than it was and I knew you were waiting for me. I'm okay now, really. It was just a hard day."

Olivia pushed away the anger that boiled up, instead focusing on how she felt about Alex. The woman had been damn brave, and she deserved to hear it.

"You were so brave today, Alex. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks. Thanks for being so good to me."

"Always," Olivia said, kissing her temple again. "Will it take the judge long to deliberate?"

"I don't think so. There's no doubt he was there. There's no doubt he did what he did to those kids. He's probably just going to take the weekend to look over everything and decide how long to put him away for."

"Forever."

Alex nodded against her chest.

"I don't think he's ever going to get out."

"Good."

Olivia kissed Alex's forehead and rubbed her back, feeling very content at having the other woman in her arms.  _She loves me_ , Olivia thought happily.

"I think I might fall asleep," Alex said, yawning.

"Let's nap then. Can you fall asleep in this position?"

"Definitely."

"Perfect. Then let's sleep," Olivia said, kissing her head again.

Alex squeezed her side and sighed happily.

"Okay. Thanks for being so great today. See you when we wake up."

"Goodnight," Olivia said, squeezing back.

It had been nearly a month since they'd successfully closed the case on the pedophile ring. All the men were put away, their sentences long enough that they would all die in prison. Olivia had been present for each sentencing, and felt relieved and immense satisfaction when she heard the news. It didn't take away the harm they had inflicted, but it was some kind of retribution. At least those children never had to worry about these men ever again.

Olivia had been in touch with Emily's mother, Rose, after sentencing to let her know and the woman cried when she was told. She cried for what had happened to her baby and for the justice that had finally been served. Rose told Olivia that Emily was hardly talking in therapy, but that she was very angry and scared. The therapist had been using art therapy to try and get out of Emily what the girl felt she couldn't say.

When Olivia phoned three weeks later to see how they were doing, there was some good news. After she had been told that the men were jailed and would never be released, Emily had slowly begun speaking about what happened. Rose admitted she had had a hard time not reacting to the things being said; it was hard to remain neutral and listen to Emily when she was relating all of the horrors she had endured. However, Rose had stayed strong for the girl, and Emily was showing progress. The therapist was confident that Emily would heal and would eventually learn to feel safe again. The fact that she was talking about it was a great step in the right direction, and with time, Emily would be the happy child she once was.

"Hey, Liv, you wanna share what you're thinking with the class?"

Olivia looked over at her partner and smirked.

"Who asked you, snoop?"

Elliot chuckled.

"You looked pretty lost in your thoughts."

"Just thinking about Emily."

"Have you spoken to her mom?"

Olivia nodded.

"I just called her a few days ago. Emily started talking after she was told all the men were jailed."

"Good. I guess she needed to know they weren't going to come after her."

"I can just imagine what those bastards threatened to do to her if she told."

Elliot shook his head, disgusted.

"I'm glad she's getting it out."

"Me too, poor baby. I hope she's okay."

"She will be."

Olivia nodded.

"How are things between you and Alex anyway?"

Olivia smiled.

"Great."

"Is she still staying with you?"

Olivia chuckled.

"She kind of never left."

"Do you think she's scared of going back home?"

Olivia paused. They had had a talk about that just a couple of weeks ago. Olivia had told her that she'd help her find another place if that was the case, but Alex had insisted that it wasn't. She enjoyed being with Olivia and she liked her place. It was closer to work, it was full of happy memories, and it smelled like her (Olivia).

"No. We talked about it. She just likes it at my place."

Elliot nodded.

"Fair enough."

They stayed quiet for a moment.

"I still can't believe you landed her. I mean, does she know there are other women out there? Has she tried?"

Olivia laughed at threw a balled up piece of paper at him.

"You're such an asshole."

He laughed, ducking away from the shot.

"Alright, alright. I'd better get going. Kathy'll have my head if I'm late again."

"Yeah you better get out of here or else one of us will end up killing you."

He laughed again.

"Goodnight, Liv."

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight."

She watched him leave and shook her head. He was such an idiot, she thought, a smile on her lips. She loved him though.

She sighed and turned back to the paperwork before her. She still had a few more things to fill out before she could head home to Alex. She worked quickly, wanting to finish as soon as possible. She knew Alex was home waiting for her, probably sprawled out on the couch, and there was nothing better than seeing the gorgeous woman in her home after a long day.

She was just in the middle of filing the last of the paperwork when her phone went off. She swiped at the screen and saw she had a message from Alex. She opened the text.

 _You have received a picture message_.

Olivia clicked on the picture, waited for it to download, and groaned loudly when the image loaded.

Alex had taken a shot of her lower body, legs apart, wearing nothing but a thong. Under the image, she had written: Guess what else I'm wearing?

Olivia bit her lip and slammed the filing cabinet shut. She quickly typed back: You're such a tease. I'm coming home now. You look so good.

She yanked her coat from her chair, said goodbye to the rest of the guys, and headed for the door. Her phone buzzed again as she made her way to the subway station.

- _I miss you, baby. I'm lying here, touching myself. I wish it were you._

Olivia bit back her groan as she swiped her pass, pushing through the gates to the subway. It would take her another thirty minutes before she got home and she wasn't so sure she would last. Her phone buzzed again.

_-Remember how sweet and gentle you were the first time you touched me? No one has ever made me feel that way. You're so good with your mouth._

Olivia held her breath, memories flooding her brain. She definitely remembered the first time they had made love. It was several days after Alex had gone to trial for Dean Alderson. They were on the couch, cuddling, when Alex had grabbed Olivia's hand and started pressed it against her breast. She had guided Olivia's hand, massaging her breast with it, moaning when Olivia started to take over. They had made love several times that night, and Olivia had not been able to keep her hands off the blonde ever since. She had never found anyone to be as beautiful, as sensual, or as desirable as Alex. Alex's body was perfect. No one compared to her.

She was ripped from her thoughts by another picture message. She wasn't so sure she should open it, given that she was now riding the subway, but she was in a corner by herself so she decided to risk it. As if she could resist checking it…

She hit "download" and when a picture of a naked Alex grabbing her breast loaded itself on the screen, Olivia bit hard on her lip to suppress the groan in her throat.

She quickly closed the picture and texted Alex back.

_-You look so, so good but you can't keep teasing me like this. I'm on the subway!_

_-I'm so wet, Liv, waiting for you here. I can't wait till you get home. I can't wait to feel your mouth on me._

Olivia dropped her head backwards against the wall. Clearly Alex wasn't going to listen to her. She loved the delicious torture, but it really was killing her. Thank God she had her leather jacket on to hide her now hard nipples. They were straining against her shirt, but that was nothing compared to what was happening in her jeans.

Alex sent another picture, this time of herself with her head thrown back, eyes closed, teeth biting her lower lip, while her back was arched and her hand was between her legs.

Olivia closed her eyes, willing her breathing to remain normal. Why did this damn subway keep stopping! Didn't they know she had a beautiful woman waiting for her?!

_-Are you almost home, baby? I'm so close, but I want you to be the one to make me come._

Olivia cleared her throat. She still had at least another ten minutes.

_-You had better stop touching yourself now because if you come before I get there, you're going to be in serious trouble._

Olivia dug her nails into her palm. Still another 8 minutes. Several more minutes went by, with no more texts from Alex.

_-Honey?_

Olivia waited, concerned. She immediately swiped at her phone when it buzzed.

_-I couldn't wait any longer. I had to come._

Olivia smiled, biting her lip. That was so sexy, but she wasn't going to tell Alex how hot it was. Instead, she wanted to play.

They had finally arrived at her stop. She immediately got out and walked quickly to her apartment building.

_-I told you to wait for me. I warned you…_

_-I know. I couldn't wait, baby. I had to come._

_-I hope it was worth it. I'm just arriving in the building now. I hope you're ready to face the consequences of your actions. I'm not going to stop until you're truly sorry for not waiting for me…_

Alex, naked and resting on Olivia's bed, shivered in anticipation as she read the brunette's text. 

* * *

Olivia opened the door to her apartment, grinning when she got inside. She wasn't upset with Alex for not waiting; in fact, she thought it was really hot that the woman had been touching herself just moments ago. However, she wasn't about to tell her that. She knew that Alex was turned on by the idea of having someone else take control, and Olivia had been thinking about that confession from the moment Alex had said it. Here was the perfect opportunity to fulfil her fantasy and she wasn't about to pass it up.

She took off her coat and tossed it on the chair. She turned around to face the hallway and saw Alex standing there, naked. Her head was resting in her hand, arm bent, leaning against the wall. She was staring at Olivia, her lips swollen and red. Her hair was disheveled and she looked so damn sexy that Olivia's breath hitched in her throat the moment she saw her. Her stomach dropped and her eyes raked over Alex's delicious body.

"See something you like?"

"Yeah," Olivia husked out, licking her lips. "I do."

She immediately walked over, grabbed Alex by the hips, and crushed their lips together. Alex wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck, pulling her close. The brunette swiped her tongue against Alex's lips, and when the blonde opened her mouth, she immediately sought out her tongue. Alex moaned against her when their tongues met. Olivia trailed her fingers down to Alex's ass, grabbing it and yanking her up. Their kiss broke, but Alex immediately resumed it after wrapping her legs around Olivia's waist.

The brunette turned and pressed Alex hard against the wall. Alex gasped against her mouth when her back pressed flush against the cold wall, but Olivia pressed their lips harder together, refusing to break the kiss for a second time. She held Alex up with one arm, moving her right hand up to start pinching the woman's nipples. Alex moaned again, a wave of pleasure shooting between her legs when Olivia started palming and squeezing her breasts. It was so good, so hot, and Alex could feel her desire building up in her stomach.

She pulled away when Olivia started actively grabbing her breasts, slamming her head back into the wall as the woman worked her body. She started to move her hips, that familiar tingling starting deep in her belly.

"You're so fucking hot, Alex," she growled in her ear, nipping at her earlobe. "I have been thinking all day about how badly I want to fuck you."

Alex bit her lip and groaned at the way Olivia's voice, laced with arousal, sounded in her ear. The detective let the woman slip from her embrace until Alex was standing on her feet. Then she dropped to her knees, placed Alex's leg over her shoulder, and began gently kissing and caressing her inner thighs.

Alex buried her fingers in Olivia's hair and moaned, tilting her hips forward. When she tried to pull Olivia closer, the brunette nipped at her skin. Alex grunted in protest.

"I want you, baby."

Olivia shook her head, pressing her cheek against her thigh and laying the faintest of kisses against Alex's sex.

"You should have thought of that when you didn't wait for me. Now, I decide when you get to be touched."

Alex moaned, desperate for Olivia's mouth.

Olivia smiled, taking her time and slowly exploring Alex's thighs. Then, she poked out her tongue and lightly traced Alex's slit. The blonde groaned in response, jerking her hips forward and letting out a frustrated growl when Olivia pulled away.

"Ah ah."

"Please, Liv. I want you to..."

"You want me to what?" she asked, her tongue tracing over Alex's lips.

"I want you to," she paused, swallowing hard. Her throat was so dry. "I want you to make me come."

When Olivia made no move to continue, Alex added a "please." The pleading tone in Alex's voice made Olivia's stomach drop with arousal. Alex obviously wanted it bad, and so did she. She reacted instantly, leaning forward and pressing her tongue hard against Alex's sex. She slipped her tongue inside, quickly finding her clitoris and stroking it.

"Ah fuck, Liv," Alex gasped out, bucking her hips against Olivia's mouth. The brunette gently moved her tongue around before lightly sucking on Alex's hardened clit. The blonde tugged harder on Olivia's head, pulling her closer. She moaned loudly when Olivia moved her tongue down, swiping and licking at her entrance. When the detective slid her tongue inside, Alex cried out and slammed her head back, hips grinding against Olivia's tongue.

Olivia slowly slid her tongue up and down Alex's sex, taking her time and licking around every inch of her. She loved the way the woman moaned and gyrated her hips around her mouth. Fuck, it was sexy to see Alex react to her touch this way. She opened her mouth wider, her tongue giving short, quick strokes against the length of Alex's vagina. The blonde held her close, panting and grinding against Olivia's tongue. Fuck, she was so good at this…

Suddenly, the brunette pulled away and stood, causing Alex to whimper from the loss of contact.

"Turn around," Olivia commanded.

Alex groaned and did as she was told. She wondered how long she'd be able to last once things starting to get more heated… She was already so close now.

Olivia pressed against her back, hands coming up to grab at her breasts.

"I love your body. I love that it's mine to touch whenever I want to. Sometimes I fantasize about storming into your office, locking the door, and taking you right against your desk."

Alex couldn't answer. The images flooding her brain, Olivia's husky voice in her ear, her hands working their magic on her body, it was all too much. She bit her lip in response, head flying back and pressing into Olivia's shoulder. She was now actively squirming and moaning in her arms.

It was taking everything in her not to drag Alex to the bedroom and fuck her senseless. She couldn't though, because she wanted to take this slow. Although they hadn't been having sex for that long, she had quickly learnt that the longer she made Alex wait, the harder the other woman came.

"I can't wait to feel you shake and scream when you finally come against me," she whispered, a hand snaking down to slide between Alex's legs. She slowly moved her fingers up and down the woman's sex, careful not to hit any of Alex's sensitive spots. She wanted it to feel good, but she didn't want to help her closer to orgasm.

"You're so wet for me, baby."

"Can you fucking blame me?"

Olivia chuckled.

"It's not funny. I want to come now."

Olivia kissed Alex's shoulder as she slowly grazed her clit with her index finger.

"Not yet, honey. I told you you would be punished for not waiting for me."

Alex whimpered.

"I think I've been punished enough."

She gasped loudly and jerked forward, grabbing the wall when the Olivia's fingers pressed into her entrance.

"No," Olivia started, pressing inside slightly before coming back out to stroke her clit. She repeated the motion several times, staying just as slow as the first time. "You haven't."

Alex started shaking against her, spreading her legs and trying desperately to speed up the touches. She loved this torture, but she hated it too. She wanted to come, needed to, but it felt so damn good and part of her didn't want it to stop. There was a deep fire burning in the pit of her belly, and every short stroke Olivia gave just added to it.

"I love the way you feel, Alex. So warm, so soft. I love touching you like this."

Olivia slowed her movements even more, eliciting a frustrated groan from the other woman. She leaned down and sucked on Alex's throat, dragging her fingers up, swirling around her clit, before pressing back down to her entrance. She pushed in slightly, loving the way Alex gasped and jerked, then moved up again. She circled her clit a few more times before finally pulling away.

Alex slumped forward, her forehead resting against the wall.

"You can't keep stopping like this. You're killing me."

"No," Olivia said, grabbing her breasts. "I'm teaching you a lesson."

She palmed and squeezed her nipples, then circled her palms over the hardened buds. She flattened her hands and ran them up and down Alex's front, then brought them around and paused on her hips. She leaned forward and kissed the back of Alex's neck before pulling away. She ripped off her top and her bra and then yanked down her pants and underwear. She pressed up against Alex, hearing the woman groan when her breasts pressed into her back.

"I love the way you react to me."

Alex bit her lip and turned around. When she saw Olivia's breasts, she immediately leaned forward and pulled a hard nipple in her mouth. She brought her hand up to tug on the other, thoroughly enjoying the way they reacted to her touch. Olivia leaned forward, breathing heavily in her ear. The sound made her even wetter, if that was possible, and she moved her hand to reach down between Olivia's legs. However, the woman caught it and pulled it away.

"Ah ah."

Alex released her hold on Olivia's nipple and looked up, pouting. The brunette laughed and cupped her cheeks.

"This is about you," she said, pressing a gentle kiss against her mouth. She then grabbed her hand and led the way to the bedroom. She brought Alex to the bed, guiding her up until she was leaning against the pillows. She straddled Alex's lap first, then slid a thigh between her legs. She pressed it close, the blonde groaning and immediately bucking against her.

"Spread your legs wider."

Alex immediately parted her legs while Olivia readjusted. When the blonde finally realised what was happening, she groaned loudly.

"Are you okay?"

Olivia hadn't touched her yet. Had she hurt her?

"Yes. This is so sexy."

Olivia smiled at her and lowered herself, until their vaginas were pressed together. She bucked her hips forward, causing Alex's mouth to open wide and her eyes to slam shut. Alex responded eagerly, grabbing Olivia's ass and bucking against her.

They moved against each other in unison, and when Alex closed her mouth and pressed her lips together, Olivia leaned down and kissed her. The blonde kissed her back, hard, and brought her hands up to grab her breasts. This was the first time they had attempted this position, and given Alex's reaction, Olivia was definitely going to do this one again.

She gyrated her hips, watching the way Alex reacted: biting her lip, pushing her head harder into the pillow, opening her mouth, gasping loudly, all the while bucking her hips just as hard as Olivia was. The brunette continued to move against her, but she knew she had to stop soon. She still wasn't ready to have this end. Therefore, she reluctantly pulled away. Alex groaned in frustration.

"Seriously, Olivia, if you want to remain in this relationship, you better let me finish at some point this evening."

Olivia laughed loudly at the tone of Alex's voice. She wasn't angry, but she was definitely frustrated.

"Do you think you've learnt your lesson?"

"Yes, damn it. I definitely regret not waiting for you!"

Olivia grinned and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, baby."

Alex's stomach dropped. She knew she would finally get what she wanted, and the thought brought her arousal level up even higher.

Olivia lowered herself onto her left side so that she was leaning against the mattress, while her right half was on top of Alex.

"Next time you'll wait for me?" she asked, her fingers tracing along Alex's slit.

"Yes," Alex nodded eagerly

Olivia slowly pressed her fingers inside. She curled them forward before slipping back out and slid them up Alex's sex. She nipped at her earlobe as her fingers sought out the blonde's clit.

"When I say you're not allowed to come without me…"

Alex grunted, moving against Olivia's fingers. "I'll wait for you."

"Good," she said, pressing her lips against Alex's throat. She circled her clit, sliding under the hood, where Alex was most sensitive. Alex gasped loudly and bucked her hips, her head jerking to the right. Olivia continued circling, slowly, laying soft kisses on her lover's forehead.

"Mmm, Liv, I love your hands."

The brunette grinned to herself, sliding her fingers down and inside of Alex. She had really enjoyed taking her time tonight, torturing Alex. She thought that maybe this would be a good thing to start doing more regularly…

Alex started moaning and squirming insistently beneath her.

"Please, Liv. I really need to come."

"Okay, baby," she whispered, slowly increasing her movements until she hit a speed that matched the blonde's gyrating hips. "Don't come just yet."

Alex was breathing hard against her, her hips moving wildly as Olivia's fingers stroked her clit harder and faster.

"Oh fuck, Liv. I'm not gonna last long."

"Don't you come yet. I'm not done fucking you."

"I really need to come soon."

"Soon, but not yet," she whispered, her fingers moving down closer to Alex's entrance with every stroke.

"Turn on your side," she commanded.

The blonde quickly shifted and Olivia spooned her from behind. Alex groaned with pleasure when Olivia pressed her fingers between her legs and resumed stroking her clit. She shifted and pulled Alex's right leg over her own, spreading her open for her wandering hand. Alex's ear was now right next to her mouth, and she decided to take full advantage.

"I love how wet you are for me baby, so swollen. Fuck, you feel so good."

Olivia slid her fingers down and pushed them inside of Alex.

"Mmm, you're so tight. I love the way you feel. I can't wait to hear you come for me," she said, shifting her hand so that her palm was pressed right against Alex's clit. She moved it in circles against Alex, while stroking her fingers in and out of her. She knew Alex was desperately close. A few seconds later, Alex panted out:

"Liv, I need to come." Everything she was doing to her, the words she was saying, it was driving Alex mad. She could feel her orgasm pressing in her stomach.

"Yeah?" she asked, nipping at her shoulder. "Then come for me, baby. I want you to."

"Ah fuck."

Hearing the words come from Olivia's mouth sent another wave of pleasure right to her core. She leaned further into her, digging her fingers into the sheets and breathing hard. She bucked and gyrated her hips until that familiar pressure pressed down into her clit.

Olivia knew she was about to come when she heard Alex's breath hitch in her throat, so she moved her hand faster, plunging in and out of the woman, whispering in her ear that she wanted her to come hard. Alex cried out, tensing for a second, then gasping and moving her hips against Olivia's hand. She came hard against her, her stomach bearing down, her entire body shaking with the strength of her orgasm. She felt it crash over her in waves, gasping and crying out with ever jerk of it.

When it finally started to subside, the brunette refused to let that be the end.

"Again, Alex. I know you can come again," she husked, nipping at her shoulder.

Alex moaned loudly when Olivia's hands continued their exquisite torture, bringing her once again to the brink. She cried out a second time, grinding hard against Olivia's hand before falling limp against her body.

Olivia slowly pulled her fingers from Alex, causing the woman to let out a disappointed moan. The brunette kissed her cheek in apology. She reached over and grabbed a sheet, covering them with it. She held Alex close, waiting for the woman to come down from her high. She loved cuddling her this way, after they made love. She felt like it reinforced how much she cared about her, how much she loved her.

She heard Alex let out a content sigh before turning in her arms. When the blonde looked up at her, she smiled.

"Hi," Olivia whispered, laying a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Mmm. That was fantastic."

Olivia nodded her head. "I agree."

Alex leaned forward and pressed their lips together, kissing her softly. When she pulled away, she looked back into Olivia's eyes.

"I really liked what you did tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm," she murmured, nodding her head and snuggling in close. "I came really, really hard. My stomach is still tense."

"Good. I like that. I remember what you said that night on my couch, that you liked the idea of someone taking the control away from you. I'm more than happy to make you do what I want, counselor, especially in bed."

"Counselor," she repeated, chuckling. "The only time I'll allow it, detective, is when we're being intimate."

"Allow? I'm pretty sure you didn't  _allow_  anything earlier.  _I_ was the one doing all the allowing."

Alex chuckled again.

"I'm being serious," Olivia said, trying to hide the humour in her voice. "Or are you going to tell me I still don't have enough evidence? If you want, I can-"

"No!" Alex shrieked, giggling, her hand jerking out to grab Olivia's wandering fingers.

"I rest my case."

"You know this isn't over," Alex said, yawning. "I have all the time in the world to get you back."

Olivia smiled and pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead.

"Yes, you do. I love you, baby. So much."

Alex closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Olivia's body and giving a gentle squeeze.

"I love you too, Liv. I've never been this happy with anyone. Thanks for being so good to me."

"There's no need to thank me. I love you, Alex."

She squeezed the woman back, rubbing her lower back gently.

"You're the best thing that's happened to me. I'm glad we finally got together, although I wish it had been under different circumstances."

"I don't think it would have happened otherwise. We needed something to push us together. And if nothing else, that experience showed me just how loving, supportive, and protective you can be."

"That'll never change, babe. You're always going to be safe here."

Alex smiled against her shoulder.

"I love you, Liv."

"I love you too, Alex. Get some sleep."

"You had better get some too, because when we wake up, it's my turn to be the boss. I can't wait. You know how I love to take control…"

Olivia grinned to herself, giving Alex one last loving squeeze. They soon fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms. Olivia's final thoughts were that she was definitely looking forward to a lifetime of letting Alex be the boss...

 _End_.

 

 


End file.
